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Full text of "The great auk, or garefowl (alca impennis, Linn.) [microform] : its history, archaeology, and remains"

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


vV 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Instltuta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibiiographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
raproduction.  or  which  may  significantly  changa 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


□    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


y 


D 


n 


D 


Couverture  endommagAe 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculie 


n    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartas  giographiquas  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


r~7|    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  an  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autras  documents 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  tha  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  i\i  filmAas. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exempiaire 
qu'il  iui  a  iti  possible  de  se  procurer.  Las  ddtaiis 
de  cet  exempiaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  biblicgraphique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithoda  normaie  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


0 


Pages  restauries  et/ou  pelliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  dicolortos,  tachaties  ou  piquies 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  material  suppl^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


r~l  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

r~]  Pages  detached/ 

r~/|  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

r~n  Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmsd  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Las  pages  totalamant  ou  partiellement 
obscurcias  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  iti  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fapon  di 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplimantaires; 


Various  pagings. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

m-immm 

7 

12X 


16X 


20X 


MX 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  hat  b««n  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  the  ganarotity  of: 

University  of  Alberta 
Edmonton 


L'axamplaira  filmi  fut  raproduit  grfica  i  la 
gin^rositt  da: 

University  of  Aiberta 
Edmonton 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  iagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacificationa. 


Original  copiaa  in  printed  paper  covera  ara  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatratad  imprea- 
sion.  or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copiaa  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatratad  impree- 
sion.  and  ending  on  the  laat  page  with  a  printed 
or  illuatratad  impraaaion. 


The  laat  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CO(i- 
TINUED").  or  tha  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  appiiaa. 


Las  imagas  suivantas  ont  iti  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  et 
da  la  nattet*  d»  i'axemplaira  fiim«.  et  9n 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmage. 

Lea  axempiairea  originaux  dont  la  couvarture  an 
papier  vMt  imprim^  sont  filmte  an  commanpant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  comporta  una  emprainta 
d'impraasion  ou  d'iilustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  ia  caa.  Tous  las  autres  axempiairea 
originaux  sont  filmAs  an  commandant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impreasion  ou  d'iilustration  at  9n  tarminant  par 
ia  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  taiie 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symbolea  suivants  apparaitra  sur  ia 
darniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  salon  le 
caa:  le  symbols  — »>  signifia  "A  SUiVRE",  ia 
symbols  y  signifie  "FIN". 


(Maps,  plataa.  charta.  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  retios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  expoaura  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  comer,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framea  aa 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Lea  cartea,  planches,  tabiaeux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtra 
fiimte  it  das  taux  da  rMuction  diffirants. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtra 
reproduit  an  un  saui  cliche,  ii  eat  fiimi  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  it  droite, 
et  de  haut  an  baa.  an  prenant  la  nombre 
d'imegea  nAcassaira.  Lea  diagrammas  suivants 
iliustrent  la  m^thoda. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

/«. 


"^J-.p^      - 


HNGRAVED  FIGURE  Ol-  A  STUM-ED  SPECIMEN  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK 

In  tim:  Cisikai.  Park  Museum,  Ni-.w  Yohk. 


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THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL 


{^^/ca  iinpcnnis,  Linn.) 


its  listoru,  Erdjccoloflu,  anlr  lemains 


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BV" 


SYMINGTON    GRIEVE 

EDINBURGH 


LONDON 
THOMAS    C.    JACK.    45    LUDGATL     HI 
h:i)[NIUIRC;H:   GRANGE   PUHLISHFNG  WORKS 

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XaQantsnc  -jprtss 

llAl.I.ANTVNE,    HANSON   ANH  CO. 
iiUINBUK(;H   AND   I.ONUuN 


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^bis  Morli 


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DEDICATED    BY    PERMISSION 


CO 


THE  LEARNED  AND  VENERABLE  SCIENTIST, 

y.  JAPETUS   S.   STEENSTRUP, 

DOCTOR  OF  I'HILOSOPHY  AND  MEDICINE, 
PHOFFSSOU  OF  ZOOLOrV  IN  THE  ROYAL  UNIVERSITY,   COPBNHAOBN, 


WHO, 


AS  THE  FIRST  TO  WRITE  A  MONOGRAPH  ON  ALCA  IMPENNIS,  Linn. 


HAY   DE  DESIGNATED 


THE  FATHER  OF  GAIIEFOWL  HISTORY. 


146360 


PREFACE. 


TN  submitting  these  pages  to  the  public,  the  Author  has  fears  that  they  will  not 
J-  bear  severe  criticism ;  but  he  must  plead  as  some  excuse  that  tliey  have  been 
compiled  during  the  relaxation  of  evenings  that  have  followed  the  toils  of  active 
business  life.  If  chance  circumstances  had  not  led  him  to  devote  some  study  to 
the  subject  of  ^te  impennis,  Linn.,  and  in  course  of  time  brought  within  his  reach 
a  considerable  amount  of  literature  bearing  upon  the  History,  Arclueology,  and 
Remains  of  this  extinct  bird,  it  is  most  improbable  he  would  ever  have°u'nder- 
taken  this  Work.  As  his  studies  progressed  he  was  led  to  suppose  that  it  might 
be  of  some  use  to  Ornithologists,  if  not  also  to  a  number  of  general  readers^  if 
he  were  to  publish  the  information  collected,  as  no  detailed  work  on  the  subject 
existed,  and  the  scattered  notices  regarding  Aim  impennis  principally  to  be  found 
HI  the  Publications  of  the  learned  Societies  are  difficult  of  access. 

The  Author  is  deeply  sensible  of  the  obligations  he  is  under  to  home  and 
foreign  savants  for  the  information  they  have  so  willingly  given,  as  it  has  enabled  him 
to  make  his  Work  nmch  more  complete  than  he  at  one  time  supposed  was  possible 
and  also  to  give  all  the  latest  information.  To  Professor  J.  Steenstrup,  Copen-' 
hagen,  he  is  indebted  for  the  valuable  remarks  which  appear  throughout  tlie 
Work,  and  for  permission  to  give  translations  of  portions  of  his  writin-s  on  Alca 
w,pennis,  Linn. ;  also  for  his  kindness  in  going  over  all  the  proofs.  To°  Professor 
W.  Blasms,  Brunswick,  he  would  tender  his  best  thanks  for  allowing  an  epitomised 
translation  of  his  recent  Publication  on  the  Kemains  of  Alca  impennis.  Linn  to 
be  prepared,  and  also  for  going  over  the  proofs  of  that  translation,  and  civin.r 
additional  and  more  recent  information.  To  Eobert  Champley,  Esq  °Scar- 
borough,  he  is  under  great  obligatir..s  for  favouring  him  with  the  use  of  interestin-^ 
correspondence,  and  also  for  giving  him  valuable  hints  and  information,  besid^ 
going  over  all  the  proof-sheets. 


vlH 


PREFACE. 


To  I'rofessor  A.  Newton,  Cambridge ;  Dr.  11.  H.  Traquair,  Alexander  Galletly, 
Esq.,  and  John  Gibson,  Esq.,  all  of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh ; 
iJr.  J.  Murie,  of  the  Linna^an  Society,  London  ;  John  Hancock,  Esq.,  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne,  and  many  others,  he  is  indebted  for  assistance  and  information,  and 
desires  to  express  to  these  friends  and  correspondents  his  sincere  thanks.  There 
is  one  gentleman  to  whom  the  Author  is  under  greater  obligations  than  any 
other,  and  lie  is  the  friend  who  has  made  the  translations,  revised  the  manuscript, 
and  then  the  proofs,  but  at  his  own  request  he  will  be  nameless. 

With  regard  to  the  Illustrations,  the  Author  desires  to  express  his  thanks  to 
tiie  President  and  Council  of  the  Linnsan  Society,  London,  for  kindly  granting 
him  the  use  of  the  electrotype  from  which  the  picture  of  Caisteal-nan-Gillean, 
Oronsay,  has  been  printed,  and  also  for  the  use  of  the  stone  from  which  the  plate 
of  Great  Auk  bones  found  in  the  same  shell-mound  has  been  lithographed.  He 
is  also  under  obligations  to  the  President  and  Council  of  the  Scottish  Society  of 
Antiquaries  for  their  kindness  in  giving  the  electrotypes  from  which  have  been 
printed  the  figures  of  the  Great  Auk  bones  found  at  Keiss,  in  Caithness-sliire, 
and  also  the  reduced  reproduction  of  the  figure  of  the  Great  Auk  in  the  "  Museum 
Wormianum,  sen  Historiie  Iterum  llariorum." 

To  the  Authorities  at  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh,  he  is 
indelited  for  the  facilities  afforded  to  Messrs.  Banks  &  Co.  for  the  execution  of 
the  drawings  of  the  eggs  of  Alca  impcnnis,  Linn.,  from  which  the  coloured  plates 
given  at  page  108  have  been  prepared. 

P"or  the  drawing  of  the  only  bone  of  the  Great  Auk  yet  found  in  England, 
the  Author  is  under  obligations  to  John  Hancock,  Esq.,  Xewcastle-ou-Tyne. 


QUEESSBEHRY   TeRRACE, 

Edinblhuh,  Julij  issa. 


i 


CONTENTS. 


Dedication   ...... 

Preface        ...... 

coxtenth      ...... 

Illustrations  ..... 

I.  Introduction  ..... 

II.  The  Distribution  of  the  Great  Auk — Tlio  Hving  Biitl  in  its  American  Habitat 

III.  The  living  Great  Auk  in  its  European  Habitats 

IV.  The  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk — Introduction  to  tlic  Subject — Discoveries  ii 

North  America      ....... 

V.  The  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk  in  Denmark  and  Iceland 
VI.  Iiritish  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk — Keiss  in  Caitliness-shire . 
VII.  British  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk  {eontinued) — Oronsay  in  Argyllshire 
VIII.  How  was  Caisteal-naii-Oilloan  formed,  and  to  what  puriod  does  it  probably 
belong?      ...... 

IX.  English  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk    . 

X.  Tho  Habits  of  the  Garefowl,  and  the  Region  it  lived  in 

XL  Information  regarding  existing  Remains  of  tho  Great  Auk,  with  Lists  of  all 

recorded  Skins,  Bones,  and  Eggs — Tables  giving  the  Tibials  of  each  Variety 

of  Remains  in  diirercnt  Countries — Also  Information  about  Skins,  Bones, 

Eggs,  Imitation  Remains,  and  Illustrations  of  Remains 

XII.  The  Uses  to  wliich  the  Great  Auk  was  p\it  by  Man    .  .  .  . 

XIII.  The  Names  by  which  the  Great  Auk  has  been  known,  and  their  Philology    , 

XIV.  The  Period  during  which  the  CJreat  Auk  lived — Conclusion   . 


l'.\UK 
V 

vii 

ix 

xi 

1 

4 

H 

27 
31 
43 
47 

,''.9 
(52 
63 


76 
115 
121 
140 


CONTENTS. 


no. 


APPENDICES. 


IV 


I.  Recapitulation  of  the  various  Investigations  concerning  the  Distribution  of 
the  Garefowl,  by  Professor  J.  Steenstrup,  Copenhagen.  Translated  from 
the  Danish 

H.  Epitomised  Translation  from  the  German  of  that  part  of  Professor  Wh." 
Blasius'  recent  pamphlet  ("Zur  Geschichte  der  Ueberreste  von  Alca  im- 
pennis,  Linn.,"  iVaumburg,  a/S  1884),  which  treats  of  the  Skins  and  Eggs 
in.  The  most  Ancient  Discovery  of  the  West  Indies  (Newfoundland),  by  Madoc, 
the  Son  of  Owen  Gwyneth,  Prince  of  North  Wales,  in  the  year  11 70 
Professor  J.  Steenstrup's  Remarks  on  East  Greenland  as  an  Ancient  Station 
for  the  Great  Auk 

V.  Correspondence  regarding  the  supposed  Stuffed  Skin  of  a  Great  Auk  or  Gare'- 
fowl  (Alca  iwpennis,  Linn,),  .said  to  have  been  seen  at  Reykjavik,  Iceland, 
by  R.  Mackay  Smith,  Esq.,  and  party        ... 
VI.  Ren.arks  by  R.  Champley,  Esq.,  on  what  should  be  the  attitude  given  to 
Stuffed  Skins  of  tlie  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl  (Alca  impemis,  Linn. ) 
VII.  Remarks  by  R.  Champley  Esq.,  on  the  Structure  of  the  Shell  of  the  Egg  of 
the  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl  (Alca  impennis,  Linn.) 
VIII.  Imitation  Great  Auk  Eggs,  the  possibility  of  their  being  produced  in  porcelain." 
Remarks  by  R,  Champley,  Esq.     . 
IX.  Correspondence  regarding  the  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl  (^ /.a 
Impennis,  Linn.),  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  at  Paris 

LVDE.X 

Remarks  o.v  Chart  . 


4 
35 
37 

38 

39 

40 

40 

41 
43 
53 


ILLUSTRATION^  S. 


No. 

■  •  •  •         Froniispieci'. 

Havelse,  Denmark,  and  supposed  by  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  to  belong 
En;  viTg  "°™   ""^'^  °'  ^^^*^^  ^"^    (^^P-^-<^<i  f--    '-  orfgina 


'"■  "^Xe"  from  wfr.'^rr  °'  '''  ''"•''*  ^"'  ^°""^  ''  Keiss  in  Caithness^ 
slure,  from  Woodcuts  belonging  to  the  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries 

^^'  ""IrRemlin'i'f  ^'T^  1-  ^^'^^-^--g'"-.  Oronsay,  where  Great 
Auk  Remains  have  been  discovered,  from  a  Woodcut  belonging  to  the 
Linneean  Society,  London  .  ""fe"'fe  lo  me 

V.  Engraving  of  the  only  Bone  of  the  Great  Auk  yet  found  in  England  from  a 
drawing  kindly  furnished  by  John  Hancock,  Esq..  Newcastle-on-Ty," 
VI.  Reduced  reproduction  of  Figure  of  Great  Auk  from  the  «  Museum  Wormi 
anum,  seu  Historic  Rcrum  Rariorum,"  Leyden,  1655,  from  a  Wood    t 
belonging  to  the  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries  .  . 

VII.  Litl-graphed  Plate  of  the  Gr.at  Auk  Bones  found  at  Caisteal-nan-Gillean 

s^^^'lo'z  :^ ''' '':''' ''-:"« ''-  '^^'^y^^-^^^  ^y «.  Linni:: 

IX.  Coloured  Ma,,  showing  the  limits  of  the  recorded  Distribution  of  the  Great 
Auk,  Its  Breeding  Stations,  &c.,  by  John  Bartholomew,  F.R.G  S  See 
end  of  Appendix.  .  ^.".u.o.     see 


38 


44,  45 


49 


G4 


68 


80 


10.^ 


it 


••■mi 


THE   GKEAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

rjlHE  following  pages  have  been  written  in  the  hope  of  interesting  some  in  the 

the  rr    7TT  '"'■     "^'^  "'°'°  '^'^^"^^  °^  *^«  «-^'  ^"k  is  a  sad  one 
tTon  ofT"  .?    T  °'*''  helpless  victims  culminating  in  the  final  destruc- 

Z      T      r?  ?;;' V''-^;  "^-^'^  ^'^^3^'  °ff  tl-  coast  of  Iceland,  excites  to 

b  fo,;  T;       :        "'  '^"'^^  ''^^  '"^•^  ^'^'^  '^^°'^-     ^l^^  race  was  blotted  out 

befo:e  natnruhsts,  when  too  late,  discovered  it  was  gone.  Regrets  are  now  use- 
less— the  living  Garefowl  is  extinct. 

to  recall   ts  existence  to  the  recollection  of  the  future  naturalists  of  the  world 

that  therlT  a'?'  ^""7  ''"'  '"'  ""  °"^^^  """'^'  --^  ^™^"  "••^•^«  «f  ornithologists 
that  thG:.at  Auk  wa.  known  and  acknowledged.  If  in  wider  circles  it  had  been 
h  ard  abou  ,  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  myth.  Now  it  is  acknowledged  by  all.  and 
has  aftorded  perhaps  more  material  for  discussion  than  any  other  British  bird 

tinent   during  the   last   thirty  years,  with  the  view  of  putting  on  record  what  is 

'3::':;'?' "'"  ^'•^;*  ^"^''  ^^^  ^'^^  "'^™*-  -"-<^^'^  i^  ha,  with  z 

natu  a     hi  """?'''  '''''  "^"°""  ^^^°"'^^^  ^^-^  "^  1-P"lar  works   on 

sotSs  mVf""'  '"  '"  P"™^^  ^'"'^^'^'^*^°"^  °f--  «f  «ie  learned 
ociaies.  We  therefore  propose  to  go  into  greater  detail  in  these  pages,  not  with 
ho  impres^on  that  we  have  much  to  relate  that  is  new  to  British  o^ithJ^^^ 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


The  first  writer  who  wrote  a  Memoir  of  the  Garefowl  or  Great  Auk  was  the 
veteran  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  of  Copenhagen.  His  paper  was  published  in 
1855,  and  we  shall  have  repeated  occasion  to  refer  to  it  in  the  course  of  the  follow- 
ing pages.'  But  previous  to  that  time  two  workers  were  in  the  field,  who  visited 
Iceland,  one  of  them  more  than  once,  with  the  object  of  ascertaining  all  that  was 
possible  regarding  the  Gai'cfowl,  especially  the  last  scenes  of  its  life.  Those  gen- 
tlemen, the  late  Mr.  J.  Wolley  and  Professor  A.  Newton  of  Cambridge,  did  good 
service  to  science  by  their  labours  ;  and  the  latter  has  contributed,  in  several 
papers,^  the  results  of  their  united  work,  besides  putting  on  record  much  that  has 
come  to  his  knowledge  from  other  sources.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  may  be 
spared  to  write  a  full  history  of  "  The  Great  Auk  and  its  Remains,''  for  which  he 
has  capabilities  possessed  perhaps  by  no  other  ornithologist  at  tlie  present  time. 

Among  other  writers  who  have  contributed  papers  on  this  bird  are  Mr.  II. 
Champley^  of  Scarborough,  and  two  well-known  Scotch  naturalists,  namely,  Mr. 
Robert  Gray,*  and  the  late  Dr.  John  Alexander  Smith  of  Edinburgh.'  Of  Conti- 
nental authors  there  may  be  mentioned,  Professor  W.  Preyer  of  Jena,"  Mons.  Victo'* 
Fatio  of  Geneva,'  and  Professor  Wh.  Blasius  of  Brunswick,'*  all  of  whose  contri- 
butions are  exceedingly  valuable.  Professor  Owen  has  published  an  account  of  its 
osteology." 

We  believe  that  the  first  note  of  warning  that  the  Great  Auk  was  likely  to 
become  extinct  was  sounded  by  a  writer  in  a  Danish  journal  during  the  year  1838. 
He  says — "  The  Garefowl  is  likely  to  become  extinct,  like  the  Dront  and  other 
birds.  There  is  a  tradition  that  it  has  been  seen  in  the  Cattegat  in  earlier  times. 
It  has  now,  on  the  other  hand,  long  disappeared  from  the  coasts  of  Norway,  Faroe, 
and  Iceland." '"    This  reference  to  Iceland,  where  the  bird  still  lingered,  reduced 

'  "  Et  liiclrngtil Geiifiiglens Niiturhistorie," &o.,  in  "  Videiiskiibelige  lleildDklsor,'  fiii  ilen  naturhiatoriske 
Fiireningi  Kjiibenhavii  for  Anret  1855  (Copenhngen,  lH5fi-lH57),  iip.  3U-llli.    (With  u  plate  uud  map.) 

-  Viis,  vol.  iii.,  181)1,  p.  ;)74.    Mr.  J.   Wolky's   "  UesuarclieR.  "     "Tlio  tiinefowl  and  its  Historiiiiis," 
Nnturul  History  Review,  1SI!5,  p.  4IW.  &c.  &c. 

•■'  "  AiiimlH  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History,"  18C4,  V(d.  xiv.  p.  23.5,  &o. 

*  "Birds  of  the  West  of  Scotland,"  1H71,  p.   441-453.     " I'roceedings  of  Koyal  Society,  Edinburgh," 
lS7n-K0,  p.  (MW,  kc.  kc. 

'•  "rroceedings  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries,  Edinburgh,"  1S7S-7i),  pp.  T'i-lOS  ;  also  187'J-80,  pji. 
4;!i;-444,  &!•.  kc. 

"  "  Ucber  J'laulus  imTKiiiiM,"  published  at  Heidelberg,  1802. 

'  "  HuUetin  de  la  Societii  Ornithologique  Suisse,"  tome  ii.,  parts  1  &  2,  18(i8. 

"  "Zur  (Jeschichte  der  Uobcrreste  von  Alfa  impennin,  Linn."    Nauuihurg,  1884.     (See  Appendix  II.) 

"  "Transactions  (if  the  Zoological  Society,"  London,  vol.  v.  p.  317,  18{)5. 

'"  "  Naturhistorisk  Tidskrift,"  18;(8-39,  p.  207.  Writing  .'iOtli  Jlanh  1885,  I'rof.  J,  Steenstrup  informs 
us,  "  The  writer  was  tlie  editor  of  the  '  Tidskrift,'  but  he  here  ipiotes  from  the  '  Skaniliuavisk  Fauna,'  ii.,  183.5, 
p,  S23,  the  work  of  tlie  celebrated  ornithologist.  Professor  S.  >iilssou." 


INTRODUCTION. 


to  a  very  small  colony,  attracted  the  attention  of  Professor  J.  Roinliardt,  wlio  wrote 
an  article  for  the  same  journal  during  1830  "  on  "  Garefowl  Appearances  in  Iceland." 
The  learned  Professor  was  thoroughly  alive  to  the  destruction  of  Garefowls  that 
had  occurred  at  their  only  liatching  place  during  the  years  tlmt  immediately  suc- 
ceeded 1830,  yet  he  does  not  appear  to  have  thought  that  the  death  of  the  last 
of  the  Garefowls  was  so  near,  as  only  five  short  years  were  to  elapse  from  the  time 
he  penned  his  communication  until  the  fate  of  the  Garefowl  was  sealed  in  the 
death  of  the  last  of  the  race. 

In  the  following  pages,  which  are  principally  devoted  to  the  Archajology  and 
History  of  the  bird,  we  endeavour  to  place  before  the  reader  all  the  information 
which  has  come  under  our  notice  that  is  of  most  importance,  though  if  an  attempt 
were  made  to  repeat  all  that  has  appeared  regarding  the  existence  of  this  bird 
especially  in  the  American  region,  wo  might  fill  several  volumes.  Whilst  we  have 
been  thus  careful  to  give  a  summary  of  all  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain  regard- 
ing the  existence  of  the  Great  Auk  from  the  earliest  times,  the  last  scenes  in  its 
history  during  the  pioioiii,  century  are  reserved  for  fuller  details. 


"  "NftturbistoriskTiUskrUt,"  1838-39,  p.  533. 


irr 


1  ,j 


i  I 


(     4     ) 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK.— THE  LIVING  BIRD  IN 
ITS  AMERICAN  HABITATS. 

IN  order  to  trace  out  the  area  in  the  northern  hemisphere  in  which  the  Great 
Auk  existed,  it  will  be  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  only  mode  of 
doing  so  is  to  iind  out  if  possible  the  localities  in  which  it  bred,  the  recorded 
occurrences  of  its  observation  or  capture,  and  lastly,  the  stations  at  which  its 
remains  have  been  recovered. 

It  is  (juite  possible  that  our  knowledge  of  what  wer"  the  breeding  places  of 
the  bird  may  be  defective  ;  but  it  seems  die  following  are  historically  well  attested, 
— namely,  St.  Kilda,  Orkney,  possibly  Shetland,  Faroe,  the  three  Garefowl  rocks 
off  the  coast  of  Iceland,  Danells  or  Graahs  islands  situated  in  latitude  65°  20'  N., 
at  one  time  called  Giinnbjornsskjoerue ;  *  then  we  liave  to  go  west  to  the  east 
coast  of  North  America,  where,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Newfoundland,  it  was 
met  with  on  Funk  and  many  other  islands ; "  also  on  some  of  the  islands  in  the 
Bay  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  at  Cape  Breton ;  while  another  station  on  the  same 
coast  at  whicli  it  probably  occurred  was  Capo  Cod,  the  latter  apparently  being 
about  the  southern  limit  of  the  region  in  which  the  bird  lived.^ 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  numbers  of  the  Garefowl  in  the  eastern  region 
during  prehistoric  times,  the  bird  does  not  appear  to  have  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  earliest  writers.     If  it  ever  existed  very  numerously  in  this  locality,  it 


'  "Groiiliiiiils  Iliatoriake  Miinlcsmrt'rker,"  vol.  i.  i)|>.  123,  124.  In  adilition  to  wliiit  is  stated  in  tlie  work 
we  (luoto,  we  may  ineiitiuii  tliat  some  coaturios  ago  tliort*  were  Norne  settlements  on  tlie  sonth-west  coast  of 
Crecnianil,  liut  a  sudden  einuige  in  the  climate  of  tlic  I'ountry  occiirrod,  generally  supposed  to  have  ticen 
caused  by  liU  alteration  of  the  current  of  that  portion  of  tlie  Gulf  Stream  wldch  is  lielieved  at  one  time  to 
have  beat  upon  this  shore.  The  sudden  lowering  of  the  temperature  cnnipidled  the  Norsemen  to  leave  this 
Iiart  of  Greenland,  and  tile  existence  of  those  settlements  had  almost  been  forgotten  until  the  discovery  of 
the  remains  of  their  villages  within  recent  times.  It  was  possildy  the  same  change  in  climate  that  caused  the 
(ireat  Auk  to  leave  Kast  Greeidand,  as  tlieie  is  no  record  of  its  having  been  destroyed  ut  Gunnhjornsskjoerne, 
timugh  the  writer  we  refer  to  mentions  its  occurrence  in  large  numbers  about  the  year  1052.  See  "  Ueber 
J'lauliix  iiiiiM:niii.i,"  pp.  22,  2:t.     See  also  I'rof.  Steenstrup's  remarks  in  our  Appendix  IV, 

•-'  "ilakluyt's  Collection  of  Voyagei,"  London,  ICiOO,  pp.  l.U  1(12,  17.'?,  I'.M,  195,  200,  202,  203,  205,  212. 
"  Et  Uidrag  til  Geirfuglens,"  "  Videnskabelige  .Middelelaer,"  18.J5,  No.  3-7,  p.  O.'i. 

^  "  Videnskabelige  Meddelelser,"  IH.V>,  No.  3  7.  p.  !tO. 


1 


SLAUGHTERS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


would  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the  primitive  races  of  men,  who,  valuing  it  as  food, 
doubtless  killed  all  that  came  within  their  reach,  until  the  few  colonies  of  the 
bird  that  remained  were  confined  to  outlying  islets,  seldom  wandering  from  their 
neighbourhood  except  when  forced  by  circumstances,  such  as  occurred  through  a 
volcanic  subsidence  off  the  coast  of  Iceland  in  1830.''  Its  food  being  fish,  which 
were  more  easily  obtained  on  the  banks  or  shallow  water  usually  found  near  the 
land,  seems  to  have  generally  confined  this  bird  within  soundings,''  and  this  idea 
was  held  by  sailors  and  fishermen,  and  is  apparently  based  on  accurate  observation. 
We  believe  that  the  earliest  notices  of  the  Garefowl  (or  Penguin,  as  it  was  called 
in  the  American  locality)  are  to  be  found  in  the  works  of  writers,  who,  referring 
to  the  early  voyages  to  the  North  American  waters  or  the  fisheries  at  the  Banks 
of  Newfoundland,  mention  the  immense  numbers  of  these  birds.*  Here  also  the 
(Jarefowl,  probably  long  before  the  arrival  of  Europeans,  had  become  confined  to 
islets  to  which  it  could  not  be  followed  by  the  Red  Indian  in  his  frail  canoe  ;  who 
would  likely  have  no  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  such  multitudes  of  birds ; 
though  in  later  times,  from  the  information  gained  by  contact  with  white  men, 
and  his  becoming  possessed  of  boats,  he  annually  visited  the  Bird  islands  for  sup- 
plies.' In  recent  times,  like  the  Great  Auk,  these  aborigines  have  also  become 
extinct.  But  if  the  Garefowl  was  safe  from  the  red  man  in  early  times,  it  found 
a  dreadful  enemy  in  the  white  ;  ana  le  record  of  the  war  of  extermination  which 
he  waged  begins  in  1497  or  1408,  and  went  on  until  no  Penguins  were  left  to 
kill.*  So  valuable  did  these  Garefowl  prove  as  an  article  of  food,  that  the  ships 
which  frequented  the  Banks  for  fishing  were  principally  provisioned  with  them, 
as  they  fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  mariners,  imd  were  so  stupid  when  on  land  that 
they  allowed  themselves  to  be  driven  on  board  the  vessels  on  planks  or  sails  spread 
out  from  the  sides  of  the  ships  to  the  shore.  Another  plan  which  was  resorted 
to,  but  probably  in  later  times  when  tlie  bird  became  less  plentiful,  was  to  drive 
them  into  compounds,  where  they  were  slaughtered  with  a  short  stick  or  club. 

The  following  extract,  taken  from  the  notice  in  "  llakluyt's  \'oyages  "  (vol. 
iii.  p.  130,  ed.  1(500,  Loudon),  of  tlio  "  Voyage  of  .M.  Hore  and  diners  other  gentle- 
men to  Newfoundland  and  Cape  Bret<in  in  the  yeere  1530,"  well  describes  a  visit 


*  Ibis,  vol.  iii.,  ISC.l,  p.  mi     Mr.  J.  AVollcy's  "Researches." 

'  Penniiiit's  "  liiitisli  Zoology,"  cd.  ISl'J,  vol.  ii.  ji.  147. 

«  Kilwanl  Hiiius  "  IJoiiort  <.f  Sir  llumiihroy  (iillieit's  Kxpeilition  to  NcwfouiulIau(l,"l.')83  A.o  '•  Hak- 
liiyt's,"  vol.  iii.  I.SIO,  pp.  1S4-LTO,  &c.  kc. 

"  "  A  .Jouinul  of  Traiisaoliciis  and  Kveiita  during  a  Residence  of  nearly  Hi.\teen  Years  uu  the  Coast  of 
Labrador,"  by  (icorge  Cartwriglit,  under  the  date,  Tuesday,  July  5th,  178,"). 

'  "  llakluyt's  Voyages,  "  vol.  iii.  (Selmstian  Cabot).      London,  lllOO,  p.  !l. 


1 1 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


!        \ 


to  Penguin  island  nnd  what  they  saw  and  did  :  "  From  the  time  of  their  setting 
out  from  Grauesond  they  were  very  long  at  sea,  to  witte,  abouo  two  moneths, 
and  neuer  touched  any  land  untill  they  came  to  part  of  the  West  Indies  about 
Cape  Briton,  shaping  their  course  thence  northeastwards  untill  they  came  to  tlie 
Island  of  Pcnyuines,  whifh  is  very  full  of  rockes  and  stones,  whereon  they  went 
and  found  it  full  of  great  fuulcs,  white  and  gny,  and  hig  as  gcesc,  and  t/icg  saw 
infinite  numbers  of  their  egges.  They  draue  a  great  number  of  the  faules  into  their 
boatcs  iipon  their  sayles,  and  took  many  of  their  egges,  the  fonlcs  they  flead,  and 
their  shinnes  xcere  eery  like  hony  combes  full  of  holes;  being  flead  off,  they  dressed 
and  eate  them,  and  found  them  to  be  very  good  and  nourishing  meate." 

This  statement  gives  a  pretty  accui'ate  idea  of  the  numbers  of  the  Garefowl 
and  the  ease  with  which  they  were  captured  ;  and  as  the  Newfoundland  fisheries 
became  developed,  and  vessels  made  regular  trips  to  the  Banks,  they  appoar  to  have 
made  very  limited  provision  for  the  crews,  depending  upon  the  Garefowl  to  make 
up  all  deficiencies  in  their  larders.  The  following  reference  (taken  from  "  Hakluyt," 
London,  IGOO,  vol.  iii.  p.  133),  illustrates  how  the  practice  was  carried  out.  It.is 
part  of  a  letter  from  M.  Anthonie  I'arkhurst,  gentleman,  dated  from  Bristow,  13th 
November  1578,  and  addressed  to  M.  Richard  Hakluyt  of  the  Middle  Temple : 
"  There  are  sea  Gulls,  Murres,  Duckes,  wild  Geese,  and  many  other  kind  of  birdes 
store,  too  long  to  write,  espeeially  at  one  island  named  Penguin,  where  u-ee  may 
driue  them  on  a  2>lanke  into  our  ship  as  many  as  shall  lade  her.  These  birds  are 
also  called  Pengui)is  and  cannot  flie ;  there  is  more  meate  in  one  of  these  then  in 
a  goose ;  the  Frenchmen  that  fish  neei-e  the  grand  baie,  doe  bring  small  store  of 
flesh  with  them,  but  vietuall  themselves  always  with  these  birdes."  There  seems 
to  have  been  no  restriction  put  upon  those  men,  and  possibly  many  birds  were 
needlessly  killed  and  their  bodies  not  even  removed ;  and  it  may  bo  to  this 
cause  that  wo  owe  the  discovery  during  1803  and  18(j1  of  severol  mummy  speci- 
mens, which  were  dug  out  from  the  frozen  soil  of  Funk  Tglaud,  two  of  whicli 
are  now  in  England  prepared  as  skeletons,  one  is  in  the  British  Museum.  Some 
of  the  bones  in  the  mummy  from  which  this  skeleton  was  prepared  were  awanting, 
but  the  deficiency  was  fortunately  made  up  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  J. 
Hancock,  Newca.«tle-on-Tyne,  who  succeeded  in  extracting  the  bones  similar  to 
those  that  were  missing  l\\nn  a  skin  in  his  possession.''  The  other  skeleton  is 
now  in  Cambridge.      (See  also  pp.  28,  82.) 

'  Ibis,  18C5,  p.  UIJ. 


M 


LATEST  REPORTED  OCCURRENCES  IN  AMERICA. 


As  tho  Garefo^v•l  appears  to  have  laid  only  one  egg  each  year,  it  may  be 
easily  understood  that  its  reproduction  would  be  very  slow,  and  that  it  could  not 
long  resist  the  war  of  extermination  waged  against  it.  Consequently  we  find  that 
it  gradually  became  fewer  in  numbers  at  all  tho  American  breeding-places,  until 
finally,  early  in  the  present  century,  it  altogether  disappeared;  and  Professor 
A.  Newton  thinks  if  any  are  in  existence,  the  only  place  where  may  possibly 
linger  the  last  of  the  American  Garefowls  is  tlie  Virgin  Rocks  near  the  edge 
of,  and  midway  on  the  north-west  side  of,  the  Great  Bank  off  the  coast  of 
Newfoundland."* 

It  i.s  stated  that  Colonel  Drummond  Hay,  in  passing  over  the  tail  of  the 
Newfoundland  Banks  in  December  1852,  saw  what  ho  believed  to  be  a  Great  Auk- 
This  gentleman  also  sent  Professor  A.  Newton  a  letter  which  he  had  received  in 
1854  from  the  late  Mr.  J.  Macgregor  of  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  in  which  he 
states  that  in  the  preceding  year,  1853,  a  dead  one  was  picked  up  in  Trinity  Bay. 
But  inquiries  instituted  by  Professor  Newton  regarding  this  specimen  did  not 
result  in  any  further  information  about  it  being  obtained." 

Audubon  mentions  that  Jlr.  Henry  Havel,  the  brother  of  his  engraver,  while 
on  a  voyage  from  New  York  to  England,  hooked  a  Great  Auk  on  tho  Bank  of  New- 
foundland, in  extremely  boisterous  weather ;  and  also  that  when  he  (Audubon)  was 
visiting  the  coast  of  Labrador,  the  fishermen  stated  that  the  Great  Auk  still  bred 
upon  a  low  rocky  islet  to  tho  south-east  of  Newfoundland,  where  great  numbers  of 
the  young  were  destroyed  for  bait ;  but  as  this  information  was  received  too 
late  in  tho  season,  ho  had  no  opportunity  of  ascertaining  its  accuracy.'- 

More  than  thirty  years  have  iiow  elapsed  since  the  last  reported  observation  in 
tho  American  locality,  and  as  each  succeeding  year  goes  past  without  any  notice 
ot  Its  existence,  the  hope  must  gradually  die  out  among  ornithologists  that  any  of 
the  birds  have  escaped.  We  may  add,  that  from  what  is  now  known  it  is  almost 
certain  that  all  reported  observations  of  the  Great  Auk  since  1811.  are  mistakes 


H  Mr''T  W^U°"'''  "'p  '"  "'^'"tr'"  ^^  ^'°^'''"'  '''■  ^■'-'"■'°»-  ^■"'"■•"1  '>i«t-ry  Keview,  1805.  p.  48G 

"n      M   f'^  ',  I  liese^rclics,"  by  Professor  A.  Newton.   Jbis,  lISOl,  vol.  iii.  p.  'Mr.  ^ 

"  "Ormtliolo(;icanii<,gnipIiy,"l.S3S,  p.  aiO. 


Il  1 


1'      i 


^lii 


(     8     ) 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  LIVING  GAREFOWL  IN  ITS  EUROPEAN  HABITATS. 

IN  the  European  region  the  Garefowl  in  historic  times  is  not  known  to  have  been 
ever  as  numerous  as  it  was  found  by  the  early  voyagers  to  American  waters. 
But  it  certainly  occurred  in  strong  colonies  at  one  or  two  stations,  such  as  St. 
Kilda,'  Iceland,'' and  probably  the  Faroe"''  and  the  Orkney  Islands  ;  *  but  from 
similar  causes  to  tlioso  which  operated  elsewhere,  it  gradually  was  killed  off,  until 
in  1814,^  or  possibly  1815,"  the  last  was  heard  of  the  living  Garefowl. 


!        '  I 


St.  Kilda. 

Of  these  birds  the  latest  seen  at  St.  Kilda  was  captured  during  the  early 
summer  of  1821  by  two  young  men  and  two  boys,  who  were  in  a  boat  on  the  east 
side  of  the  island,  and  observed  it  sitting  on  a  low  ledge  of  the  cliff.  The  two 
young  men  were  lauded  at  opposite  points  of  the  ledge,  but  about  equidistant  from 
the  bird,  which  they  gradually  approached,  whilst  meantime  the  boys  had  rowed 
the  boat  close  up  to  the  rock  under  where  it  was  sitting.  At  last,  becoming 
frightened  by  the  ajiprouch  of  the  men,  it  leaped  down  towards  the  sea,  but  only 
to  fall  into  the  arms  of  one  of  the  youths,  who  held  it  fast.  Five  years  ago  (1880) 
one  of  these  boys,  Donald  JI'Queen,  was  still  living,  aged  73.'  From  these 
men  the  bird  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Maclellan,  the  tack.smnn  of  Glass  or  Scalpa, 
one  of  the  Northern  Hebrides.  To  this  gentleman  has  been  given  the  credit 
of   having    captured    it,    through    some    misapprehension    on    the    part    of    the 

'  "  A  Voy»go  to  St.  Kilila,  "  by  M.  Martin,  Gent.,  London,  17."'3,  p.  27. 

^  Ml.  J.  ^Volley's  "  Keaeiirches  in  Iceland,''  Jhis,  vol.  iii.,  Ifilil,  pp.  ;i74-398. 

•  OlaiiBWormius  in  his  "Museum  Wormianuni,  seu  Hiatoriaj  Keruni  Karioram  "  (Coponhagon),  Leyden, 
1655,  p.  301. 

*  MiicUillivray,  "  British  Birds,"  vol.  iv.  p.  301 ;  and  Appendix  to  the  Supplement,  Montagu's  "  Ornitho- 
logical Dictionary,'  1K13. 

°  "  Et  liidrag  til  Geirfuglenii,"  by  Prof.  Steenstrup,  "  V'idenskabelige  Meddelelser,"  1855,  Nr.  .3-7,  p.  78. 
"  Thcjnison's  "Hirds  of  Ireliind,"  vol.  iii.  p.  23!). 

7  "  Proceedings  of  Koyal  Society,  Edinburgh,"  187U-80,  p.  GCi).    Note  "Letter  from  K.    Scot  Skirving, 
Esq.,  17th  .June  1880,  toKobert  liray,  Esq." 


IV^ 


GREAT  AUK  CAUGHT  AT  ST.  KILDA. 


Rev.  John  Fleming,  D.D.,  minister  of  Flisk,  afterwards  Professor  Fleming,  of  the 
New  College,  Eilinburgh,  who  obtained  it  from  him  on  the  eve  of  his  leaving  Glass 
in  the  yacht  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Northern  Lighthouses,  18th  August  of 
that  year.* 

Dr.  Fleming  states,  "  The  bird  was  emaciated,  and  had  the  appearance  of 
being  sickly,  but  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  became  sprightly,  having  been 
plentifully  supplied  with  fresh  fish,  and  permitted  occasionally  to  sport  in  the 
water  with  a  cord  fastened  to  one  of  its  legs  to  prevent  escape.  Even  in  this  state 
of  restraint  it  performed  the  motions  of  diving  and  swimming  under  water  with  u 
rapidity  that  set  all  pursuit  from  u  boat  at  defiance.  A  few  white  feathers  were 
at  this  time  making  their  appearance  on  the  sides  of  its  neck  and  throat,  which 
increased  considerably  during  the  Ibllowing  week,  and  loft  no  do\ibt  that,  like  its 
congeners,  the  blackness  of  the  throat-feathers  of  summer  is  exchanged  for  white 
during  the  winter  season." "  The  year  in  which  this  event  took  place  has  been 
supposed  l)y  some  to  have  been  1822,  as,  owing  to  a  misprint  or  mistake  in  the 
"History  of  British  Animals,"  published  by  I'rofessor  Fleming  in  1828,  the  latter 
date  is  given.  But  as  the  bird  was  obtained  during  a  tour  of  inspection  witli 
the  Northern  Liglitliouse  Commissioners,  an  examination  of  their  Journal  has 
shown  that  the  Kev.  Dr.  Fleming  of  Flisk  was  on  board  their  yacht  En/cnt  in 
1821,  but  not  in  1822,  when  the  Connnissioners  visited  the  island  of  Scalpa."* 
Unfortunately,  the  Garefowl  escaped  when  tlio  yacht  was  near  the  entrance  to 
the  Firth  of  Clyde,"  as  it  was  being  allowed  to  take  its  usual  bath  in  the  sea 
with  a  cord  attached  to  its  leg ;  and  there  appears  to  be  some  evidence  that  this 
bird  afterwards  died,  and  its  body  cast  ashore  at  Gourock.''  The  escape  seems 
to  have  occurred  after  Dr.  Fleming  and  his  party  had  left  the  yacht,  as  they 
landed  at  the  lighthouse  at  the  JIull  of  Cantyro  on  2Gth  August,  and  proceeded 
by  land  to  Campbeltown,  whence  they  got  the  steamer  for  Glasgow.  This  bird 
had  been  given  to  Mr.  Stevenson,  the  engineer  of  the  Northern  Lighthouse 
Board,  and  he  gave  it  to  Dr.  Fleming,  on  the  understanding  it  was  to  be  presented 
to  the  ^fuseum  of  Edinburgh  University,  and  its  unfortunate  loss  is  perhaps 
irreparable. 


'  "  Proceedings  of  the  .Society  of  Antiqunriea  of  Scotlnml,"vol.  ii.  ii.s.,  \\ 

"  "  KiliiiliHi'uli  I'liilosoiiliiciil  .Jnunml,"  vol.  x.,  1S24,  ]>.  !t4. 

'"  "rioci'uiiiiig«  Snciety  of  Aiitiqimrii'sof  Scotliiiid,"  vol.  ii,  ii.a.,  ji.  411. 

"  "  Edinburgh  IMiilosupliiciil  Juurnal."  vol.  x. ,  1S'.!4,  p.  'X>, 

"  "Birds  of  the  West  of  Scotland,"  K.  Gray  (1871),  i>i>.  441-453. 


441. 


1 — r 


to 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Orkney  and  Shetland. 

The  lost  notice  of  this  interesting  bird  appearing  in  oithei'  Orkney  or  Shet- 
land was  in  1812,  when  two,  a  male  and  femulo,  were  killed  at  I'lipa  Westra," 
One  account  says  that  the  female  was  seen  sitting  upon  the  rocks  close  to  the 
Hea,  where  it  was  knocked  over  hy  some  boya  or  young  men  with  stones,  but  wna 
not  then  obtained.  It  was  washed  a.shore  some  time  nt'terwards.'^  Another 
account  says  it  was  shot.  The  male  was  chased  by  !Mr.  Bullock  in  a  six-oared 
l)oat  for  many  hours,  but  its  speed  was  so  great  that  the  pursuit  had  to  be 
abandoned.  However,  this  bird  was  afterwards  captured  by  some  fishermen,  who 
killed  it  and  sent  the  body  to  that  gentleman. "*  At  his  death  it  was  sold,  and 
purchased  by  Dr.  Leach  for  £15,  Gs.  Gd.,  and  placed  in  the  British  Museum,'* 
where  it  is  now  the  finest  specimen  they  possess. 


I     ■' 


i    5 


i  I   I 


FAuijE  Islands. 

At  Faroe  the  GareFowl  had  become  exceedingly  rare  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,'"  and  the  last  birds  were  probably  killed  during  the  next  few 
years,  but  the  exact  date  of  the  last  capture  cannot  be  ascertained.  When  Mr. 
Wollcy  visited  Fariie  in  18 19,  he  was  told  by  an  old  man  that  he  had  seen  one 
sitting  upon  some  low  rocks  about  fifty  years  before.'"  Professor  J.  Steenstrup 
relates,  that  during  his  visit  to  these  ' "lands  ho  saw  the  head  of  a  Great  Auk 
which  had  been  preserved.  It  is  probable  that  either  the  last,  or  among  the  last, 
of  these  birds  killed  in  this  locality  is  referred  to  by  Graba,  who  was  at 
Faroe  in  1828.  He  found  that  most  of  the  natives  did  not  know  it  even  by 
name ;  but  some  old  people  told  him  tliey  thought  they  had  formerly  seen  it  at 
Westmannshavn,  and  one  man  said  that  he  had  killed  an  old  Garefowl  with  a 
stick  as  it  sat  on  its  egg  at  this  place.'"  From  a  remark  of  Professor  A.  Newton 
in  "  The  Garefowl  aud  its  Historians,"""  we  are  led  to  understand  that  this  man 
lived  until  a  short  time  prior  to  18G5.     Major  H.  W.  Fielden,  when  ho  visited 


'^  Aiiiiendix  to  Supplement  of  "  Montagu's  Ornithologicul  Dictionnry,"  ISl.'}, 

'*  "The  Gnrcfowl  iinil  its  HistorinnH,"  Niitural  History  Ueviow,  IH(li),  p.  473. 

''  Dr.  Liithnm,  "Oeiioral  History  of  Jiirds,"  toI.  z.  pp.  ,''p(i,  57. 

'"  "The  Garefowl  and  its  Historians,"  Natural  History  Keview,  180B,  p.  473. 

'"  "  lieskrivelse  over  Faerceerne,"  1800,  p.  'J.")4.     "Landt.  " 

'"  "Contributions  to  Ornithology,"  \KA,  p.  115. 

'»  "Reise  nnch  Faro,"  pp.  I'Jf*,  l!l!l. 

'^  "Natural  History  Keview,"  IWm,  p.  476. 


I 

•   ti 

i 


THE  GARRFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


u 


Fariio,  saw  ft  iimu  nnmi'd  Jan  Hansen,  thou  eighty-one  years  of  age,  who  told 
him  tliat  a  Great  Auk  was  caught  on  1st  July  1808.°'  If  this  man's  statement 
bo  true,  ho  must  have  had  a  wonderfully  retentive  memory  to  remember  the  date 
BO  exactly. 

Iceland. 

Some  of  the  skerries  oH"  the  south-west  coast  of  Iceland  were,  it  is  believed, 
the  last  brooding-places  of  the  Great  Auk.  During  earlier  times  the  bird  had  a 
wider  distribution  around  this  coast,  and  for  that  reason  wo  must  refer  separately 
to  the  different  skerries  it  is  said  to  have  inhabited. 


OKIHFCGLASKKK,  Ol'F  Breidamkrkursandr. 

I'rofossor  W.  I'royer,  in  his  paper  "Uehcr  Plaittm  impennis,"  18G2,  p.  "25,  states 
that  E.  Olafsson"^  mentions  an  island  situated  some  geograjjliical  miles  (probably 
fifteen  or  twenty  English  miles)  off  the  Breidamorkursandr  (Broidamerkur  Sands), 
named  the  Geirfuglasker  {Anylicc,  Garofowl  Skerry),  and  if  this  is  the  case  there 
can  be  little  doubt  it  derives  its  name  from  the  Great  Auk.  Olafsson  says,  "  It 
gets  its  name  from  the  Auk  with  the  eight  furrows  on  its  beak ; "  and  though 
thia  is  not  (piite  true  regarding  the  number  of  furrows  on  the  bill  of  Alca 
impcnnis,  which  vary  in  number  and  are  generally  more  numerous,  what  other 
bird  would  so  closely  answer  the  description,  and  be  o  sufficient  importance  to 
give  its  name  to  this  rock  ?  There  was  only  one  bird  known  by  the  name  of 
Geirfugl  in  Iceland  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  discover,  and  that  was  tho 
Great  Auk.  Whether  this  skerry  was  a  breeding-place  of  tho  Garefowl,  or  only 
one  of  the  islets  it  fre(iuented,  may  bo  left  an  open  (juestion.  Olafsson  refers 
to  this  skerry  as  if  its  existence  was  only  traditional.  Professor  Steenstrup 
says  it  is  situated  on  the  south  coast  of  Iceland.  It  appears  on  the  map  in 
connection  with  his  celebrated  ])aper  (see  p.  2)  situated  nearly  midway  between 
tho  Wcstman  Isles  and  Cape  Ueykjaues.  Professor  W.  Preyer  states  the  name 
is  not  now  known  even  in  Iceland.  Tho  skerry,  if  it  appears  on  recent  maps,  is 
not  given  by  the  name  of  Geirfuglasker,  and  we  are  thus  unable  to  identify  it.  It 
is  therefore  not  marked  on  our  chart. 


»'  "ZoologUtS.S„"i).  3280. 

'"  E.  Olafsson  og  B.  I'uUsod  Ueise  igj  Island.  Sorcie,  1772,  p.  7G.5. 


T 


til 


' 

\ 

Ml 


f  I  ; 


12 


r//7?  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Geikfuglasker,  East  of  Bkeiddalsvik,  East  Iceland. 

Professor  W.  Preyer,  on  the  same  ]iairo  of  liis  paper  as  already  quoted,  refers 
to  some  rocks  to  tlie  cast  of  Breiddalsvik  in  East  Iceland.  He  tells  us  tlioy  are  men- 
tioned by  Olaus  Olavius,^^  and  are  said  to  stretch  a  long  waj'  out  to  sea.  A  num- 
ber are  just  visible  above  the  ocean,  but  about  six  or  seven  German  miles  (about 
twenty-four  or  twenty-eight  Etifflish  miles)  off  the  coast  is  a  tolerably  largo  rock 
of  considerable  circumference  called  the  Geirfngla^kcr.  To  this  rock  in  times  past 
expeditions  went  about  St.  John's  Day  (near  mid-summer)  to  catch  Garefowla 
and  seals.  From  the  context  this  may  have  been  a  breeding-place  of  the  Gare- 
fowl,  and  probably  the  date  was  chosen  from  the  fact  that  the  young  birds  would 
generally  be  hatched  out  by  the  end  of  June.  We  can  hardly  bring  ourselves  to 
think  that  it  was  with  any  desire  to  spare  the  young,  and  thus  permit  the  perpetua- 
tion of  the  race,  that  this  period  of  the  year  was  chosen,  as  all  the  information  to 
bo  had  regarding  these  expeditions  indicate  that  the  fowlers  slaughtered  old  and 
young  indiscriminatolj'.  It  is  likely  there  were  some  holidays  at  this  season,  and 
as  the  weather  might  bo  expected  to  bo  usually  better  than  at  other  periods  of 
the  year,  this  may  account  for  the  time  chosen  for  visiting  the  skerry.  As  the 
Icelanders  had  only  open  boats,  they  required  to  make  such  expeditious  in  favour- 
able weather. 

There  is  on  Olsen's  large  scale  map  of  Iceland,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  coast, 
a  skerry  named  Goirfuglasker,  and  this  seems  likely  to  bo  the  islet  referred  to. 
We  have  marked  this  islet  on  our  chart  as  a  probable  breeding-place.  It  has, 
however,  by  an  unfortunate  mistake,  been  named  "  Fuglasker." 

Professor  A.  Newton,  in  his  paper  on  !Mr.  J.  Wolley's  "Researches,"  Ibis,  1861, 
p,  371,  says  :  "  The  most  eastern  Geirfuglasker  is  situated  some  thirty  miles  from 
the  coast,  off  the  island  of  Papey,  and  the  entrance  of  Berufjor(5r,  about  hit.  G  !•, 
Ji")  N.,  and  long.  26'  W.  (of  Copenhagen),  and  is  commonly  known  to  Danish 
sailors  as  Ilvalsbak  (Whalesback)."  "  On  making  all  intpiiries  wo  were  .abh^  on 
our  arrival  at  lleykj.avik  (prohahli/  in  1658),  we  could  ■  tain  no  recent  information 
respecting  the  eastern  skerry,  of  which  we  had  at  starting  entertained  most  ho])es. 
It  appeared  also  that  of  the  travellers  who  in  the  last  century  had  published 
accounts  of  their  journeys  in  Iceland,  Olafsen  "^  and  Olavius"^  only  had  alluded  to 

33  Ocrnmn  tianslation  of  Olaus  Oluvius'  "Journey  through  Icc^liiml,"  17S7,  p.  313. 

-*  "  Keise  i^'iennem  Island,''  ftc,  a!  Eijgert  Olafsen  (or  Olafsson).     Sorcii-,  1772,  p.  7.">0. 

2''  "  (Eoonomiak  l!ey»o  i;.'iiMincni  cl>^  norilvestligc,  nordlige,  <i(;  nurdostligc  Kantur  iif  Is 


Oliwius,  ic,  Kjiibuuliiivn,  I'SO,  ii.  p.  547. 


Island,"  vud  Olium 


U 


!■■» 


THE  GAREFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


'3 


this  isolated  rock  as  a  station  for  the  bird,  though  another  of  them,  the  Farbese, 
Mohr,  was  in  1781  for  no  less  than  two  months  at  Djnpivogr,  on  the  mainland 
opposite,  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  natural  history."  -»  Mr.  Wolley  then  states 
that  having  made  up  his  mind  not  to  attempt  the  journey  to  this  skerry,  he  en- 
gaged a  native  of  the  disrrict,  a  gentleman  named  Magnusson,  who  went  as  his 
envoy,  and  reached  Berufjor?ir  in  the  month  of  June,  and  then,  taking  a  boat,  he 
proceeded  to  the  island,  which  he  rowed  round,  close  enough  to  satisfy  himself  that 
there  were  no  Garefowls  on  it,  but  the  unfavourable  state  of  the  weather  prevented 
him  landing.  On  his  return  to  Reykjavik  during  July,  Mr.  Magnusson  informed 
Mr.  Wolley  that  there  were  no  traditions  in  that  part  of  the  country  of  the  bird  ever 
having  been  there. 

Geirfuglasker,  Westmanneyar,  South  Iceland. 

To  the  south  of  Iceland  is  situated  a  group  of  islands  named  the  Westman- 
neyar  {Anglicc,  Westman  Islands),  called  after  the  monks  of  the  early  Celtic 
Church,  who  came  from  Ireland  to  worship  God  in  peace  in  these  remote  solitudes, 
free  from  the  distractions  of  the  world."'  The  most  southerly  of  these  islands  is 
known  by  the  name  Grir/iifjladrr,  and  it  was  undoubtedly  a  breeding-place  of 
the  Groat  Auk.  It  is  probably  nearly  a  century,  and  perhaps  considerably  more, 
since  this  island  ceased  to  be  a  station  for  Aka  impmnis.  Professor  W.  Preyer, 
when  he  wrote  in  1SG5,  says,  "The  Great  .\uk  bred  here  more  than  half  a 
century  ago."  This  Geirfuglasker  is  said  to  comprise  three  principal  masses  of 
rock,  and  on  one  of  these  the  Garcfowl  is  said  to  have  bred.  The  locality  of 
this  skerry  is  indicated  on  our  chart. 

Kospectiiig  this  skerry  Professor  A.  Newton  says  :  "  We  hoard  on  all  sides 
that  it  was  yearly  visited  by  people  from  th(>  neighbouring  islands,  and  though  we 
were  told  that  some  fifteen  years  before  a  young  bird  had  been  obtai.ied  thence, 
it  was  (juite  certain  that  no  Great  Auks  resorted  thither  now."  This  probably 
refers  to  inquiries  made  by  Mr.  Wolley  during  1858.  In  a  footnote  l^rofessor 
Newton  remarks,  "Of  course  it  does  not  follow,  even  if  the  story  be  true,  that  this 
bird  was  bred  there.  Fabor  states  ('Prodromus  der  islandisehen  Ornithologio 
Kopeuhagen,'  1822,  p.  40),  that  he  was  on  the  Westman  Islands  in  July  and 
August   1821,  and  that  a   peasant  there  told  him   it  was  twenty  years  since  a 


-■«  "  Korsilg  til  I'll  rsliui.lsk  Natmliistorie,  &c.,"  veil  N.  Molir,  Kiolicnimvii,  1780,  p.  383. 
•'■   "DieuiU^  Lilar  ,lu  MiMisuni  Orbis  Teinie."    Eil.  ValckL'iiaT.    I'mis,  1807. 


Ml 

1 

Mi 

i 
1 

'•  :i-i 

14 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Great  Auk  (and  that  the  only  one  of  the  species  he  had  ever  seen)  had  occurred 
there.  He  adds,  that  this  bird  and  its  egg,  upon  wliich  it  was  taken,  remained 
a  long  time  in  a  warehouse  on  one  of  the  islands,  but  had  vanished  before  hia 
arrival.  We  may,  with  Professor  Steenstrup  (I.e.  p.  7G,  note),  infer  from  this  that 
the  Garefowl,  even  about  the  year  1800,  was  a  great  rarity  in  the  neighbourhood."  '^^ 

The  Fuglaskek  (Anylicc,  Biru)  Skerries)  off  Cape  Revkjanes.-" 

It  was,  however,  the  skerries  to  the  south-west  of  Capo  Reykjanos  that 
afforded  a  last  shelter  to  the  persecuted  Garefowls,  and  for  that  reason  some 
details  will  be  interesting.  This  region  is  one  of  volcanic  activity,  and  numerous 
upheavals  and  subsidences  have  taken  place.  Islands  have  appeared  and  dis- 
appeared, and  from  active  craters  the  sea  lias  at  times  been  covered  with  a  tiiick 
layer  of  pumice.  The  phenomena  attending  these  eruptions  have  been  generally 
so  appalling  tlu  mention  is  made  of  them  in  Icelandic  history.  I'rofessor  W. 
I'reyer  states  that  in  the  year  1:210  A.D.,  there  was  an  eruption  oft'  Capo  Reyk- 
j  es;  in  121t>,  there  is  a  doubtful  reference  to  another;  but  from  1222  till 
.(:!:iO  wo  are  told  that  there  were  continual  eruptions,  and  four  great  outbreaks 
.luring  that  time. 

In  1237  occurred  what  is  described  as  the  seventh  eruption,  and  in  12-1() 
the  eighth,  when  a  number  of  snudl  islands  were  formed,  and  were  seen  from  tho 
coast,  but  afterwards  mostly  disappeared,  while  others  came  to  view  at  dift'erent 
places  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  A  long  period  of  (juiescenco  followed  this 
period  of  activity;  but  in  1122  tlio  ninth  eruption  took  place,  when  there 
appeared  above  the  sea  high  rocks  of  considerable  circumference.  The  tenth 
eruption  occurred  in  1583  ;  the  eleventh,  exactly  two  hundred  years  afterwards, 
in  1783;  the  tweltlh  in  183U,  when  the  Geirfuglaskcr  disappeared  on  which 
tho  Garefowls  bred,  and  to  this  circumstance  we  shall  ])rfst'ntly  refer.  Tiio  most 
I'ecent  eruption  took  place  at  the  end  of  July  1881,  and  a  correspondent  of  one 
of  the  Edinburgh  newspapers,  writing  i'rom  Reykjavik,  refers  to  it  as  follows : 
''  Towards  tho  end  of  July  volcanic  disturbances  occurred  in  the  sou  otf  Capo 
Reykjanes,  the  south-west  puint  of  Iceland,  which  culminated  in  the  appearance 
above  tho  waters  of  a  new  island.  Beyond  the  occurrence  of  several  earthnuako 
shocks,  by  no  means  rare  phenomena  in  that  part  of  Iceland,  there  was  little 
manifestation  of  what  was  taking  place  in  tho  deep,  until,  on  the  20th  of  July, 


•'  Mr.  .1.  Woll.7'8  "  Ueseurches,"  Hit,  1801,  p.  a7'J. 

'-'■'  AV//A;/'(iM(»  traiislutiil  iiiti)  Kiiglisli  niciinii  "smoke  cape;"  lii'iikJiivU;  "smoke  buy." 


'! 


THE  GAREFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


'S 


the  light-keeper  at  Cape  Reykjanes  observed  that  a  new  islet  had  appeared  about 
twenty  miles  off  the  coast.  It  lies  about  fourteen  miles  north-west  of  Eldey,  or 
the  Mealsack,  a  high  cylindrical  volcanic  rock  whitened  at  the  top  by  the  deposits 
of  seafowl,  whence  the  name  ivTcdlsack,  which  forms  a  conspicuous  object  familiar 
to  all  who  have  rounded  Capo  Reykjanes.  The  now  island  had  at  first  the  shape 
of  a  flattened  cone  rounded  at  the  top,  but  a  large  part  of  one  of  the  sides  lias 
since  fallen  down.  INIore  recent  accounts  throw  considerable  doubt  on  this  story, 
and  it  is  said  that  a  vessel  has  passed  over  the  spot  where  the  island  was  seen 
without  discovering  any  trace  of  it.  On  the  other  hand  the  light-keeper  is  said 
to  maintain  the  truth  of  his  story.  It  is  possible  ho  may  have  been  deceived 
by  mirage." 

As  far  as  wo  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  the  skerries  south-west  of  Cape 
Reykjanes  had  occupied  the  position  shown  on  the  enlargement  of  that  region 
given  in  connection  with  our  chart,  for  at  least  some  centuries  prior  to  1830. 
During  that  year  the  rock  named  Geirfuglasker,  which  was  the  innermost  of  the 
two  outer  skerries,  disappeared  beneath  the  waves ;  and  as  this  rock  was  the 
principal  breeding-place  of  the  Garefowls,  the  event  had  a  most  important  result, 
as  it  greatly  hastened  the  extinction  of  the  species,  compelling  the  birds  to  seek 
a  home  on  skerries  that  were  easier  of  access  from  the  mainland.  Tlio  four 
skerries  that  are  shown  on  our  map  are  called  collectively  the  Fuglaskcr  (Fowl  or 
Bird  Skerries),  but  they  may  be  divided  into  two  groups,  each  consisting  of  two 
islets — the  innermost  of  the  groups  being  named  the  Eldeyjar  (Fire  Islands), 
comprising  Eldey  (Fire  Island),  where  the  last  of  the  Garefowls  was  killed  in 
1811,  and  Eldeyjardningr  (Fin;  Island  C'litf  or  Rock),  a  pi'ecipitous  stack  of  rock 
which  was  too  steep  for  the  Garefowls  to  ascend,  as  they  could  not  ily.  The 
fowlers,  who  visited  it  long  ago,  must  have  found  it  impossible  to  climb,  as  Pro- 
fessor W.  Proyer,  quoting  Eggert  Olafsson  (E.  Olafsson  og  B.  IMlsson  Rcise  igj 
Island  Soriif,  1772,  I.e.,  pp.  8!U!,  8:>1),  mentions  that  Eldey  and  Eldeyjardningr 
are  so  steep  that  no  one  can  mount  them,  although  in  former  times  there  were 
rope-ladders  on  Eldey. 

Professor  Newton  says :  "  Lying  off  Capo  Reykjanes,  the  south-western 
point  of  Iceland,  is  a  small  chain  of  volcanic  islets,  commonly  known  as  the 
Fuglasker,  between  which  and  the  shore,  notwithstanding  that  the  water  is  deep, 
there  runs  a  Riist  (Roost),  nearly  always  violent,  and  under  certain  conditions  of 
wind  and  tide  such  as  no  boat  can  live  in  That  which  is  nearest  the  land  lu-ii  j- 
about  thirteen  English  miles  distant,  i.^        .cd  by  Icelanders  Eldey  (Fire  k      i), 


iillj 


II   ! 


\ 


\i\ 


!i 


1 6 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOIVL. 


and  by  the  Danish  sailors  Meel-saekkcn  (the  Mealsack),  a  name,  indeed,  well 
applied ;  for  seen  from  one  direction  at  least,  its  appearance  is  grotesquely  like 
that  of  a  monstrous  half-filled  bag  of  flour,  the  resemblance,  too,  being  heightened 
by  its  prevailing  whitish  colour.  Not  very  far  from  Eldey  lies  a  small  low  rock, 
over  whicli  it  seems  that  the  sea  sometimes  breaks.  This  is  known  as 
Eldeyjardningr  (Eldey's  Attendant)."  ='" 

As  to  these  two  last  statements  we  may  remark  that  though  the  waves 
may  in  times  of  storm  break  over  this  skerry,  still  iL  may  be  a  stack  of  rock 
rising  to  a  considerable  height  above  the  sea,  though  neither  so  high  or  large 
as  Eldey. 

The  meaning  of  the  name  Eldeyjardrdngr,  as  given  by  Professor  Newton,  we 
supposed  was  a  mistake,  as  drdngr  means  a  d[tf  or  rode.  Having  written  to 
Professor  Newton  with  reference  to  this  matter,  ho  replied  on  IGth  March  1885, 
"  I  would,  however,  say  that  in  Iceland  its  application  is  not  confined  to  '  a  stack 
of  rock  rising  abruptly,'  for  the  Eldeyjurdi'angr  is  a  gently  sloping  low  rock,  over 
which  the  sea  at  times  breaks."  Professor  Steenstrup,  writing  us  on  loth  April 
1885  regarding  this  subject,  saj's,  "  Drdni/r  is  certainly  a  rock  or  cliff,  but  it  is 
principally  used  as  a  name  for  a  cliff  or  rock  near  to  the  coast,  near  a  larger 
island  or  skerry  accompanying,  as  it  were,  the  coast  or  the  islfind  as  a  follower 
or  attendant.  Hundreds  of  names  are  so  supplied  l)y  tlie  Islanders."  It  is  quite 
possible  that  the  wash  of  the  Atlantic  waves,  aided  l)y  the  volcanic  disturbances  that 
have  occurred  in  this  region,  may  have  reduced  Eldeyjardrangr  from  being  a  high 
rock  to  be  now  a  low  one,  with  a  gently  sloping  surface  ;  but  we  think  there  is  not 
the  .slightest  doubt  that  at  tlio  time  this  skerry  got  its  name  it  was  a  high  .stack  of 
rock.  That  it  was  as  we  have  described  it,  is  mentioned  by  Eggert  Olafsson, 
wlio  Avas  in  Iceland  from  1752  to  1757,  and  again  from  1700  to  170  k  In 
describing  the  skerries  off  Reykjanes,  he  says :  "  Eldey  lies  a  mile  (Uerman  mile) 
distant  i'rom  this  promontory,  and  close  beside  it  Eldeyjardr:lngr,  a  high  rock.  On 
these  places  dwell  Auks  and  other  sea  and  mountain  bird.s,  but  they  are  so  steep 
that  now  no  one  can  mount  them."  ^'  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  fuller 
infornuition  upon  the  present  state  of  this  skerry.  If  it  sliouhl  turn  out  that  it 
is  still  a  rock  of  considerable  height,  it  need  cause  no  stn'prise  that  the  sea  breaks 


•■"'  Mr.  J.  ■Wolley's  "  Itenenrclies,"  Th'f.  vol.  Hi.,  IKOl.]).  i\7'.l 

^'  "UuliiT  I'Iiuuu.1  Iiiiiit'iinis,'  vun  Win.  I'ri'jer,  lluidt'lbor;;,  l.S(i'_',  p.  L'S.  Qu»t»tiun  Irom  Kt,'gert 
( )luf.ss<iir.'<  wmk,  "  lit'ist'.  igj  Ulaiid,"  p.  8tMi,  tMl.  Tbo  Auks  reforrod  tu  cuuld  uut  be  Alca  imiKnnii,  but  were 
[irobiibly  Alca  tordn,  or  Arciica  alle. 


M 
■I 


'J* 


I    ;!>! 


THE  GAREFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


17 


over  it  at  times,  as  the  Atlantic  waves  must  sweep  in  upon  that   coast  with 
tremendous  force. 

The  outer  group  of  skerries  may  bo  called  the  Geirfuglasker(Garefowl  Skerries). 
The  inner  of  the  two  skerries,  forming  this  group,  was  the  Geirfuglasker  proper, 
on  which  the  Garefowls  bred,  and  which  was  submerged  in  1830.    Professor  Newton 
says,  «  Some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  further  out  (than  Eldejgardriingr)  are  the  remains 
of  the  rock  formerly  known  to  Icelanders  as  the  Geirfuglasker  proper,  and  to  Danes 
as  Ladogaarden  (the  Barn-building),  in  former  times  the  most  considerable  of  the 
chain  but  which,  after  a  series  of  submarine  disturbances  beginning  on  the  6th  or  7th 
of  March  1830,  and  continuing  at  intervals  for  about  a  twelvemonth,  disappeared 
completely  below  the  surface,  so  that  now  no  part  of  it  is  visible,  though  it  is  said 
that  Its  situation  is  occasionally  revealed  by  the  breakers.  "==»     This  islet  formed  a 
suitable  breeding-place  fur  the  bird,  as  part  of  its  west  side  sloped  down  towards 
the   sea,  which   made  it  easy  for   the    Garefowls  to  get    upon  the   rock.       The 
outermost   skerry  is  named   the  Geirfugladraugr  (Garefowls  Cliff  or  Rock),  and 
appears  to   have  got  its  name  to  distinguish   it  from  the  Geirfuglasker  proper 
just  m  the  same  way  that  Eldeyjardrangr  got  its  name  to  distinguish  it  from 
Eldey.    The  name  Geirfugladnlngr  would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  is  a  stack  of  rock 
and  difficult  to  climb,  and  thus  was  unsuitable  for  the  Garefowl  to  breed  upon 
Writing  m  1801,  Professor  A.  Newton  says,  "  Further  out  again  (to  sea),  perhaps 
some    six-aud-twenty   English   miles    from    Reykjanes,   rises   another   tall  stack 
called  by   Icelanders   Geirfugladraugr,   and   by    Danish    sailors   Greenadeer-huen 
(the  Grenadier's   Cap)."'"      "The  only   hope  that  exists  of  finding  the  Gare- 
fowl   m    this    region   is,    that  at   the    submergence  off  Reykjanes    a   colony    of 
these   birds    existed    at   the    Geirfugladraugr,    or    went    there    from    the   sunken 
rock."  ■'     «  It  is  about  the  same  distance  from  it  as  Eldev,  onlv  much   further 
from  Iceland,  and  owing  to  its  remoteness,  and  the  dangerous  surf  that  breaks 
upon  Its  shore,  has  never  been  visited  by  any  inhabitant  of  the  mainland."  ^     Un- 
fortunately, the  learned  Professor's  hope  has  not  been  realised,  and  as  other  twenty 
years   have    come  and  gone  without  even  a  single  trace  of  the  living  Garefowl 
being  found,  we  fear  it  must  be  considered  as  extinct. 

Tlie  Geirfugladraugr  was    once  visited  by   a    Count  F.   C.  Raben,  a  Dane. 


•■•■'  BIr.  J.  ■WoUey'.s  "licscai-clioa,"  Il,is,  vol.  iii.,  ISOl,  p.  380 

'*  Ibid. 

^  il)iil.  \\.  ;ilH!. 

**  "The  Garefowl  uml  ita  Uistoiiiius/'  Natural  History  Ueview,  1805,  ,,.  47.). 


i8 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


: 


He  went  along  with  Faber  when  collecting  materials  for  his  fauna  of  Iceland,  and 
accompanying  them  was  a  Danish  botanist  named  Morck ;  but  of  the  party  only 
Count  Raben  landed,  and  ho  narrowly  escaped  losing  his  life  when  getting  off  tho 
skerry.  During  this  voyage,  which  lasted  from  the  29tli  Juno  till  the  2d  July 
1821,  they  also  visited  tho  Geirfnglasker,  now  submerged.  It  is  of  importance 
to  observe  that  when  at  tho  Goirfugladn'ingr  the  party  did  not  notice  any  Gare- 
fowls,  and  as  they  should  have  been  seen  there  at  that  season  of  tho  year  if  any 
frequented  the  rock,  it  throws  considerable  doubts  upon  the  likelihood  of  its 
having  ever  been  one  of  their  breeding-places.  Professor  Newton  mentions  that 
"  All  these  rocks  have  been  long  remarkable  for  the  furious  surf  which  boils  round 
them  except  in  the  very  calmest  weather.  Still  more  distant  is  a  rock  to  which 
the  names  Eldej'ja-bodi,  or  Blinde-fuglasker,  have  been  applied  by  Icelanders. 
This  is  supposed  to  have  risen  from  the  sea  in  1783,  the  year  of  the  disastrous 
volcanic  eruption  in  Skaptafolls-sysla,  and  soon  after  to  havo  sunk  iDeneath  the 
waves."  ^'  Professor  Newton  may  have  seen  some  of  these  islets  from  a  distance, 
but  unfortunately  neither  Mr.  Wolley  or  himself  succeeded  in  visiting  them,  lie 
says :  "  In  1858  Mr.  Wolley  and  I  remained  at  Kyrkjuvogr,  with  two  short 
intervals,  from  May  21st  to  July  11th.  Our  chief  object  was  to  reach  not  only 
Eldey,  but  the  still  more  distant  Geirfugladrdngr,  on  which,  probably,  no  man 
has  set  foot  since  the  Danish  Count,  in  1821,  with  so  much  difficulty  reached  it. 
Boats  and  men  were  engaged,  and  stores  for  the  trip  laid  in ;  but  not  a  single 
opportunity  occurred  when  a  landing  would  have  been  practicable.  I  may  say 
it  was  with  heavy  hearts  we  witnessed  the  season  wearing  away  without  giving 
us  the  wished-for  chance."^' 

TlIK    GkIRIT(;LASKF.R,  NOW    SUUMERCiED. 

It  was  at  the  Geirfnglasker,  now  submerged,  situated  nbove  twent}--(ivo  miles 
south-west  of  Keykjanes  on  the  mainland,  that  there  occurred  during  the  latter 
period  of  its  history  the  greatest  slaughters  of  the  Garefowl.  Since  the  beginning 
of  last  century  it  appears  that  this  Garefowl  colony  has  been  several  times  in 
danger  of  extermination,  as  ex]iediti()ns  went  to  it  year  after  year  about  mid- 
summer, if  the  weather  was  propitidus. 

The  colony  became  at  times  so  diminished  in  numbers  tiiat  for  a  series  of 
years  no  expeditions  went  to  it ;   but  fis  soon  as  it  was  discovered  that  the  Gare- 


1, 

if  I' 
;    ii  I 

if 


"  Mr.  J.  Wollej's  "Kcsearclies,"  I/iis,  vul.  iii.,  ISCl,  i<.  3S0. 


:*  llii.1.  p.  ;».». 


|i 


ll 


THE  GAREFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


19 


fowls  had  again  increased,  immediately  efforts  were  made  to  kill  tliem.     If  wo 
may  believe  Anderson,  who  wrote  in  1740,'"  the  only  place  in  Iceland  at  that 
time  where  the  Garofowl  were  to  be  found  was  at  this  Geirfuglasker.      In  1752, 
llorrebow,  in  reviewing  Anderson's  work,  says,'"  "  The  Garefowl  was  at  that  time 
plentiful  at  this  skorry."    He  also  adds,  "  The  fowlers,  when  they  visited  this  rock, 
filled  their  boats  with  the  eggs  of  the  Garofowl."     Eggert  Olafsson,  who  was  in 
Iceland  from   1752   till   1757,  and  again  from  17G0  till  17G-1,  writing  in   1772, 
says,""  "  The  Garefowl  is  found  on  one  of  tlio  We.stmanneyar  (^Angllcc,  Wcstman 
Islands),  and  also  on  a  skerry  off  Ileykjanes."     In  the  public  library  at  Reykjavik 
is  preserved  a  short  but  beautifully  written  manuscript  giving  an  account  of  the 
Geirfuglasker.     This  manuscript,  from   internal   evidence,  appears  to  have  been 
written  about  the  year  17G0.      It  mentions  the  marvellous  numbers  of  birds  found 
upon  the  rock,  and  states  that  the  "  Garefowl  is  there  not  nearly  so  much  as  men 
suppose ; "   "  that  the  space  he  occupies  cannot  be  reckoned  at  more  than  a  six- 
teenth part  of  tlio  skerry,"  "  and  this  only  at   the  two  landing-places ;  further 
upwards  he  does  not  betake  himself,  on  account  of  his  flightlessness."  ■*"     N.  Mohr, 
wlio  visited  Iceland  in  1780-81,  writing  in  1786  ("  Forsbg  til  en  islandsk  Natur- 
historie,"  p.  29),  refers  to  tlie  statement  of  llorrebow,  "  that  the  fowlers  in  his 
time  (1752)  filled  their  boats  with  the  eggs  of  the  Garefowl,"  and  says  it  is  exag- 
gerated.    There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Mohr  had  good  reason  to  make  this 
remark,  for  the  female  Garefowl  only  laid  one  egg  each  season. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  principal  descents  that  were 
made  on  tliis  skerry  have  been  well  recorded.  The  first  of  these  was  perpetrated 
by  the  crew  of  a  privateer  named  the  Salamine,  commanded  by  John  Gilpin,  but 
])roV)al)ly  owned  by  Baron  Hompesch,  wlio  was  on  board.  Tins  vessel  in  1808 
visited  Faroe,  and  her  crew  plundered  Tiiorshavn,  where  they  found  a  man  named 
Peter  Hansen,  whom  they  forced  to  proceed  witii  them  as  pilot  to  Iceland.  Tl)ey 
arrived  at  Reykjavik  on  July  2  Itli,  and  repeated  their  previous  outrages,  and  on 
their  way  from  Iceland  visited  the  Geirfuglasker,  where  they  remained  a  whole  day 
killing  many  birds  and  treading  down  their  eggs  and  young.  They  left  here  on 
the  8th  August,  and  on  their  way  south  called  at  Fariie,  where  they  landed  Hansen. 


■'"  "Nacliiii'liti'ii  vdTi  Isl^iiil,  Gniiiliwid  uiiil  ilci- Stiasso  Diivis."    Fniiikfurt  u  I.eiiizi^',  1747,  S.  54. 

J"  "  TiU.iiliuleliga  Kftcrretiiingiir  uiii  Islaiul,"  X'lfl,  S.  4!).  As  iiiistriinslutiuns  nccur  in  the  Euglisli 
I'ltitiiiii  of  llorrutxjw,  aiiil  we  havo  ln.'cn  unable  In  I'unsult  his  urii^inal  wtnk,  tlio  ruailer  must  acCL-pt  the  utate- 
inuntH  attributed  to  iiini  with  cautinn. 

■"  K.  ()laf»s()U  ou  I'.alssun  Ueise  i-j.  Islam!.     Sciiic,  ]77i!,  I.  C.  S.  Slti,  S;U. 

"  I'rufussor  A.  Newtou  ou  Mr.  J.  \Voll«y  a  "  ISeaeurchus,"  llii,  vol.  iii.,  ISOl,  j).  3S1. 


^ 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Tlio  next  catastroplio  to  this  Garofowl  colony  was  in  the  year  1813.  The 
war  between  Britain  and  Denmark  liad  resulted  in  the  inhabitants  of  the  Faroes 
being  almost  starved  for  want  of  supplies,  and  their  governor,  Major  Lobner,  sent 
the  schooner  Fariie  of  twelve  guns  to  Iceland  for  food,  placing  it  under  the  charge 
of  Hansen,  as  he  was  already  acfpiainted  with  the  coast.  When  they  arrived  off  the 
Geirfuglasker  they  were  becalmed,  and  a  boat  having  been  lowered,  its  crew  visited 
one  of  the  skerries,  on  which  they  found  nn  immense  concourse  of  birds,  among 
them  being  many  Great  Auks.  They  killed  all  that  came  within  their  reach,  and 
after  filling  their  boat,  numbers  were  left  lying  dead,  as  they  intended  to  return 
for  them.  But  as  the  wind  freshened,  Hansen  made  sail  for  Reykjavik,  where 
about  a  week  later  they  arrived  on  the  29t]i  July.  They  had  then  twenty-four 
Garefowl  on  board,  besides  numbers  that  had  been  salted  down.''^ 

It  seems  probable  that  this  skerry  on  which  these  birds  principally  bred 
might  have  been  their  homo  to  the  present  time,  if  its  volcanic  submergence  had 
not  compelled  the  colony  that  inhabited  it  to  seek  a  home  on  another  islet,  nearer 
the  shore,  named  Eldey,  which  they  had  not  previously  frequented,  where  they 
became  a  much  easier  prey  to  their  inveterate  foe,  mankind.  (See  chart.)  The 
volcanic  disturbances  that  caused  the  Geirfuglasker,  off  Reykjanes,  to  disappear, 
occurred  in  1830,  beginning  about  the  Gth  or  7th  of  JIarch,  and  a  colony  of  tho 
Garefowl  shortly  afterwards  appeared  at 


n 


Elpey, 

"  A  precipitous  stack  perpendicular  nearly  all  round.  Tho  most  lofty  part 
has  been  variously  estimated  to  be  from  50  to  70  fathoms  in  height,  but  on  the 
opposite  side  a  shelf  (generally  known  as  tho  '  Underland ' )  slopes  up  from  tho 
sea  to  a  considerable  elevation,  until  it  is  terminated  abruptly  by  the  steep  cliff 
of  the  higher  portion.  At  the  foot  of  this  inclined  plane  is  tho  only  landing- 
place  ;  and  further  up,  out  of  n^ach  of  tho  waves,  is  tho  spot  where  the  Garefowls 
had  their  home."  ''■'  Professor  "W.  I'reyer,  .Teiia,  quoting  Eggert  Olafsson,  who 
))ublished  in  1  772  his  work  (E.  Olafsson  og  B.  TVilsson  Reise  igj.  Island,  Sorije, 
1772,  1.  c.  pp.  831,  SOC))  says:  "In  former  tinu^s  there  were  rope-ladders  on 
Eldey,  and  there  can  still  be  seen  large  nails  in  the  rocks  where  the  ropes  were 
fastened."  " 


i     '1 


"  Mr.  .r.  WoUi  y"8  "  Hcsoarcliea,"  Ihia,  vol.  iii.,  ISC.l,  pp.  .384-381). 

«*  iiiiii.  p.  :m. ' 

*■•  "  IJubor  I'liuitus  Iinpeniiis."  von.  Willi. an  I'leyer.     Heidelberg,  1802,  p.  28. 


V. 


THE  GAREFOWL  SKERRIES,  ICELAND. 


21 


_  It  was  at  tlus  skerry  tliat  the  last  pnir  of  Great  Auks  were  killed  in  1844 
Iheir  intestmcs  a,ul  other  internal  organs  are  now  preserved  in  the  Royal  University 
Museum,  Copenhagen,  but  what  became  of  their  skins,  bones,  and  other  remains 
appears  to  be  unknown.^     (See  also  Appendix,  pp.  7  and  13  nofes.) 

The  capture  of  these  two  birds  was  ofTected  through  the  efforts  of  an  expedi- 
t.on  of  fourteen  men,  led  by  Vilhjalmur  Ilukonarsson ;  but  only  three  landed  on 
the  ™ek,  and  they  at  great  risk,  nan.ely,  SigurSr  Islefsson,  Ketil  Ketilson,  and 
Jon  BrandsHon.  Only  two  Great  Auks  were  seen,  and  both  were  taken-J6n 
captunng  the  one,  and  SigurSr  the  other.  This  event  took  place  between  the  2d 
and  oth  J.">o  1844.  It  appears  that  this  expedition  was  undertaken  at  the 
n.s,gat.ou    of  Ilerr  Carl   8ien,sen,  who  was  anxious  to   obtain   the  specimens; 

w,th  t.l,e  two  dea.1  Garefowls  for  Reykjavik.  On  his  journey  he  met  Christian 
Han  en  (son  of  the  I  ansen  before  alluded  to,  who  piloted  the  two  vessels  to  the 
.e.rfuglasker),  and  sold  them  to  him  for  eighty  rigsbank-dollars,  or  about  £9. 
By  IWn  hey  were  passed  on  to  Herr  Moller,  who  was  at  that  time  the  apothe- 
eary  at  Reykjavik.  ^ 

It  is  from  this  last  station  that  most  of  the  skins  and  eggs  now  found  in 
European  collections  have  been  obtained,  and  it  is  believed  that  during  the  fourteen 
years  they  frequented  this  rock  at  least  sixty  Garefowls  were  killed.  When  the 
Geirfug  asker  sank,  the  colony  of  Garefowls  was  scattered,  as  a  few  individuals 
made  their  appearance  at  one  or  two  points  along  the  Coast  of  Iceland,  where 
some  were  killed  Vilhjalmur  Hakonarsson  revisited  Eldey  in  184G,  and  again 
n.  18G0,  but  neither  he  nor  any  of  his  party  could  see  any  Garefowls." 

^rAINLAND    OF  ICELAM). 

There  is  a  report  that  in  1814  seven  Great  Auks  were  killed  at  Latrabjarg« 
rrofessor  A.  Newton  on  Mr.  Wolley's  «  Researches  "  mentions  that  a  man  named 
rhorwalder  Oddsson  found  a  Great  Auk  on  the  shore  at  Selvogr  about  1803  or 
180O,  and  a  few  years  later  two  were  killed  at  Ilellersknipa,  between  Skagen  and 
Keblavik,  probably  about  1808  or  1810.  Another  is  said  to  have  been  shot  a 
few  years  later  near  the  same  spot;  this,  as  well  as  the  other  two,  was    eaten 


ilio  Ourefowl  aud  its  Hiatomus,"  Natural  History  Itfview,  1805.  „.  47U. 


22 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


H 


J| 


In  July  1821,  near  the  sanio  place,  two  birds  were  killed  by  a  man  named  Jon 
Jonsson  with  a  sprit  or  gaff,  while  they  were  sitting  on  a  low  rock.  The  skins 
were  sold,  but  the  bodies  eaten.  There  is  an  niuiuthenticatcd  account  of  one 
liaving  been  killed  somewhere  in  South  Iceland  in  1818,  but  Etatsraad  Keinhardt 
records  the  death  of  one  in  1828.''* 

Professor  W.  Preycr  states  that  twenty  of  these  birds  were  killed  at  the  island 
of  Grimscy  about  tho  time  of  the  submorgcnco  of  the  Geirfuglaskor,  oft"  Iloykjanes. 
This  island  is  situated  to  tho  north  of  Iceland,  and  is  intersected  by  tho  Arctic 
Circle.""  This  report,  ho\Mever,  needs  confirmation,  as  llr.  Proctor,  who  visited 
that  island  in  1837,  and  was  weather-bound  there  for  several  weeks,  appears  never 
to  have  heard  of  this  occurrence,  as  ho  would  most  likely  have  done  if  it  had  been 
correct.  Tho  following  letter  from  Mr.  Proctor  to  Mr.  II.  Champley  of  Scar- 
borough is  interesting :  — 

"  Univeiisity  Mumkdm,  Durham, 
Pclruurij  'JS,  1861. 

"  Dear  Sir, — Yours  of  the  25lh  cnnao  duly  to  hand,  and  would  havu  been  answered 
sooner  had  I  been  at  home  ;  and  in  answer  I  beg  to  inform  you  we  have  tho  Great  Auk  in  our 
Museum — but  ni>t  the  cgj;.  We  got  tho  skin  fiDiu  Mr.  Koiil  of  IVmcastor,  I  believe,  about 
the  year  1834  or  18155.  Tho  Kev.  T.  Ctisbdrne  bought  the  skin  in  Dmicaster  fur  £1  or  £8, 
I  believe,  but  wlieie  it  was  killed  nr  taken  I  do  not  know.  I  was  in  leehuid  in  tho  year 
1833,  and  made  every  imjuiry,  and  sought  for  it,  but  never  saw  a  siiigle  bird.  I  went  to 
the  northern  part  of  leeland  in  the  year  1837  in  search  of  it  again,  and  travelled  all  through 
the  northern  parts  as  far  as  Grimsey  Island,  a  small  isliind  forty  or  fifty  mih^s  north  of  tlio 
mainland  of  leeland,  but  eould  not  meet  with  it'.  I  foinid  the  Littlo  Auk  breeding  there. 
I  never  saw  tlie  bird  alive.  I  never  bad  any  oilier  skin  than  tho  one  mentioned  above, 
neither  have  I  ever  had  the  eggs.  I  have  the  eggs  of  tho  Little  Auk,  and  a  great  many 
other  eggs  on  hand. — I  remain,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  W.   I'llOCTOU." 


It  is  as  well  to  mention  that  there  is  another  island  named  Grimsey,  which 
is  situated  near  the  entrance  to  Steingrimsfjordr  in  the  Iluna  Floi,  North  Iceland  ; 
but  Professor  W.  Preyer's  statement  is  so  clear  that  this  cannot  bo  the  island  ho 
refers  to,  and  we  can  only  conclude  that  his  information  regarding  tho  more 
northerly  island  of  the  .same  name  is  incorrect. 

*"  I'npfessor  A.  Newton  on  Sir.  .T.  Wolloy's  "  lU'scarclics,"  Hit.  v.,1.  iii.,  IHOI,  \^\^.  3,'<l  ;!S'.I. 
''"  "  Uebur  riautua  Imiiciiiiis,"  von  William  rruyur,  1802,  i>.  23.     I'rofi-«»or  Htceustrup  informs  us,  \'M\ 
April  188D,  that  he  tliluk:t  tbe  uccunouce  of  these  twenty  Great  Auks  at  Grimsey  more  than  doubtful. 


'     ti 


REPORTED  OCCURRENCES  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


23 


♦f  ■ 


Otheu  Localities. 

The  other  localities  at  which  the  occurrence  of  the  Garefowl  has  been  re- 
portoil  wince  1800  are  as  follows ;  It  is  mentioned  that  a  specimen  was  picked  up 
dead  on  Linuly  Island,  but  this  needs  confirmation.'''  In  ilay  183t  two  speci- 
mens were  captured  near  tlin  entrance  to  Watert'ord  harbour,  and  one  of  tliese  is 
now  preserved  as  a  stuffed  skin  in  the  Museum  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  The 
other  was  unfortunately  destroyed  through  the  ignorance  of  its  captors."  In 
February  18H'  the  Rev.  Josi'ph  Stojjford  communicated  to  Dr.  ITarvey  of  Cork 
that  a  Great  Aide  had  been  obtained  on  the  long  strand  of  Castle  Freke  in  the 
west  of  County  Cork,  and  that  the  bird  had  been  water-soaked  in  a  storm.  He 
did  not  give  any  date  for  this  event,  but  it  is  generally  understood  that  a  number 
<if  years  elapsed  before  he  wrote  that  this  bird  was  got.'^ 

Two  Cnrefowls  are  said  to  have  been  seen  in  ISelfast  Bay  on  '23d  September 
1 8-15,'''*  and  this  instance  is  worthy  of  note,  as,  if  it  is  correct,  it  is  a  year  later 
than  the  date  at  which  the  last  Garctbwls  were  killed  (in  Eldey.  The  observer  on 
whose  authority  this  statement  is  made  was  a  ^fr.  H.  ]5fll,  a  wildfowl  shooter, 
who  related  that  ho  saw  two  largo  birds  the  size  of  Great  Northern  Divers  (which 
were  well  known  to  him),  but  with  much  smaller  wings.  He  imagined  they 
might  be  young  of  that  species,  until  he  remarked  that  their  heads  and  bills  weie 
much  more  clumsy  than  those  of  the  Culi/mhiis.  They  kept  almost  constantly 
diving,  and  went  to  an  extraordinary  distance  each  tim(»  with  great  rapidity. 

It  is  stated,  but  not  on  good  authority,  that  early  in  this  century  several 
Garefowls  were  at  dilforont  times  seen  or  caught  on  the  French  side  of  the  English 
Channel.''''  In  Denmark,  where  recently  the  remains  of  Garefowl  have  been  found 
in  ancient  sliell-inounds  (kitchen-middens),  there  is  only  one  instance  of  its 
occurrence  on  record,  and  that  is  made  by  Ijenicken,  who  iufurms  us  that  one  was 
shot  about  the  year  1  7!KI  in  Kiel  Harbour  (now  German  territory).  Tiie  ajipear- 
anco  of  this  bird  has  been  several  times  noted  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cattegat. 
Professor  Nilsson  was  assm-ed  by  an  old  Hshernnm  in  ]?ohus  liin  that  in  his  youth 
lie  had  seen  the  Garefowl  on  Tistlarna.  Another  specimen  is  mentioned,  on  the 
authority  of  Dr.  (I'Jdnian,  to  have  been  killed  off  Marstrand  at  the  end  of  last  ccn- 

"  Dr.  Edward  Mmiii^  ('liiirIi'avvoitir»i  "Mngiizine  uf  Xiitunil  History,"  vul.  i.  p.  IKil. 
"  Thomsmi'H  "Itirda  (if  Indiiiid,"  vid.  iii.  ]>.  2;iS. 

"3  Ibid.  p.  •2:iS,  !'*  Iliid.  p.  2;!!l. 

"  DoKlaiid,  "  Oriiitlioloyic  Eur.,"  ii,  p.  .V_'!l ;  also  in  Jt.  Uardj's  "Catalogue  dea  Oiseaux  Jo  la  Sciiie-Iii- 
furieurc." 


,5i»' 


'HI 
I! 


'«4 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL 


\  '■ 


tiiry.  A  tload  bird  is  said  to  liave  been  found  nour  Frodorilvsstttd  in  Norway  duriay 
the  winter  of  1 838."  In  addition  to  the  instances  narrated  two  occurrenceH  of 
the  Great  Auk  nro  roporti'd  frain  iiilimd  situiitioiis  in  Pnuiu,  but  one  of  these  has 
been  declared  by  the  hito  Sir  William  Hooker,"  on  whose  authority  the  statenu'nt 
was  made,  to  have  been  a,  mistake,''*  and  the  other  made  by  Fleming  is  evidently 
ftlso  an  error/* 

Wlien  at  St.  Kilda  in  Juno  1880,  :\rr.  1{.  Scot  Skirving  nu't  :\fr.  Mackenzie, 
the  factor  for  Mudeod  of  Maclcod,  and  heard  from  hiiu  that  in  181  !■  he  saw  .shot  at 
a  place  on  the  coast  of  the  island  of  Skye  what  he  now  believed  to  be  a  Great 
Auk,  though  at  the  time  the  bird  was  killed  all  ho  knew  was  that  it  wna  ii 
stranger  to  him,  and  having  seen  a  Great  Northi-rn  Diver  only  u  short  time 
before,  he  did  not  think  it  was  one  of  them.  Mr.  ilackeuzio  stated  that  ho 
was  taking  a  walk  along  the  .shore  when  he  met  a  man  named  Jialcolm  Macleod, 
who  was  out  trying  to  get  a  shot  at  sea  birds.  In  the  course  of  their  walk  they 
saw  a  very  large  bird,  which  ^Macleod  succeeded  iu  .shooting,  and  as  it  was  some 
distance  from  the  shore  they  had  to  get  a  boat  to  secure  its  body.  They  thought 
in  the  distance  it  was  a  Great  Northern  Diver,  but  when  they  got  the  dead  bird 
they  were  at  once  struck  with  its  remarkable  appearance,  as  it  difl'ered  from  any 
bird  they  had  ever  seen.  What  the  renuu'kablo  dilferences  were  do  not  appear 
Very  clear,  as  they  did  not  observe  the  bill  to  be  strikingly  large  ;  and  what  attracted 
Mr.  Mackenzie's  attention  principally  were  the  large  claic.%  which  were,  so  far  as 
ho  recollects,  one  and  a  (puirter  inches  broad  and  not  more  that  one  thick.  lie 
got  Macleod  to  give  him  the  feet  of  the  bird,  which  he  says  he  kept  until  18G0, 
when  they  were  lost  during  u  flitting,  lie  did  not  notice  anything  particular 
about  the  size  of  the  wings.  It  was  numy  years  after  the  bird  was  shot  before 
iR[r.  Mackenzie  saw  figures  of  the  Great  Auk,  but  on  seeing  the  pictures  he  thought 
that  the  bird  ho  saw  killed  in  1811  wius  the  same  in  appearance.  Mr.  Scot 
Skirving,  having  obtained  the  address  of  JIacleod,  who  resided  in  Greenock, 
wrote  him,  and  he  remembered  the  shooting  of  the  bird  when  with  Mr.  Mac- 
kenzie cpiite  well,  and  says  he  shot  another  of  the  same  kind  immediately  after 
near  the  same  place.  The  words  he  uses  ire :  "  I  shot  the  one  like  to-day  and 
the  other  like  to-morrow."   .   .    .   "I  never  saw  the  like  of  them  before  or  after. 


"  "The  Garefowl  mid  its  lIi»toiittn»," Natural  History  licview,  18(m,  p.  -IC!).     Profussiir  Stecnstrup,  ];!tli 
April  1S8."),  siiys,  "  All  the  reported  occurronces  of  the  Great  Auk  in  the  (.'atti,;at  are  insufficicutly  attesteil." 

..      OOO       ....... 


''  IIju;  lK(il,  p.  .•!:«,  note. 

'^  "Liniiiiinn  Society  Tmnsactlons, "  vol.  xv.  p.  (il. 

'^  "  lirilinU  Auiuiula,"  |>.  130. 


\i 


.Mil 


DOUBTFUL  OCCURRENCE  AT  THE  ISLAND  OF  SKYE. 


25 


Tliey  were  ulioiit  tlio  sizo  oF  n  goo.se,  but  iiioro  gnici'l'iil  iii  tlio  sliiipo  of  tlie  body. 
I  Imvo  si'en  tho  picture  of  the  Great  Auk  in  tlie  '  Eucyclopiuiliii,"  uuil  it  rcinintls 
me  of  the  binlH.  I  cannot  sny  I  rcniember  every  ])articuiur  ulwut  tho  ninke  of 
tho  birds.  Thoy  wore  dnrk  on  tho  coat,  with  white  breosts  and  smull  winf,'s.  I 
tliink  I  uliot  tliom  iiboiit  I'orty  years  11^0."  Miicleod  wrote  tiiis  infornmtion  in 
iiSHO,  so  by  his  uecount  tiio  birds  would  be  shot  about  1810  iind  not  181- !•.  As 
Macleod  must  have  been  accustomed  to  observe  sea  birds,  it  is  unlikcOy  ho  would 
havo  passed  over  unnoticed  tho  remarkable  beak  of  tho  Great  Auk,  if  these  had 
been  such  birds;  and  besides,  when  J[r.  Mackenzie  j?ot  tho  feet  of  tho  first 
specinien,  Macleod  took  away  tho  head  as  a  tropiiy,  so  he  had  every  opportunity 
of  remarking  any  poculiaritiea  if  such  had  existed. 

We  candidly  confess  having  great  doubts  as  to  the  possibility  of  these  birds 
luiving  been  Great  Auks,  ipiite  apart  from  tho  very  doubtful  evidence.  If  we 
tako  1810  as  the  date  at  which  tliey  wore  shot,  there  is  a  sleiuler  possibility  that 
two  specimens  of  Aha  impcnnis  might  havo  found  their  way  to  the  shores  of 
Skye  ;  but  if  ilr.  Mackenzie  is  correct,  and  ho  seems  to  liave  little  doubt  of  the 
date  he  gives,  then  it  is  most  unlikely  and  against  all  probability,  as  tlie  last  pair 
were  killed  at  thi!  beginning  of  Juno  1811  on  Kldey.  It  is  rather  curious  that 
during  the  correspondence  that  has  taken  place  between  Mr.  K.  Scot  Skirving, 
Mr.  Mackenzie,  and  Macleod,  the  locality  in  Skyo  at  which  the  birds  were  shot  is 
not  mentioned.  It  is  easy  to  throw  doubt  on  the  identity  of  these  birds  with  the 
Great  Auk,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  say  what  other  birds  they  could  be  except  Great 
Northern  Divers,  and  perhajjs  they  were  only  these  after  all  in  some  particular 
state  of  plumage  with  which  Mr.  ^fackenxie  and  ^lacleod  were  ipiite  unfamiliar. 

Some  ornithologists  have  indulged  in  the  lio})0  that  in  some  hitherto  unex- 
plored part  of  the  Northern  Seas  wo  would  yet  find  the  living  Garefowl,  but  it 
ai)pears  to  us  that  all  hope  of  such  a  discovery  has  long  since  died  out.  For  numy 
years  past  part  of  the  standing  instructions  to  the  naturalists  who  have  accompanied 
the  Arctic  expeditit)ns  has  been,  "Look  out  for  the  (Jrt'at  Auk;"  but  expedition 
after  expedition  has  returned  without  any  trace  of  the  living  bird  having  been 
found.  The  Europeans  resident  in  Greenland  are  well  aware  of  the  value  of  its 
renuiins  and  the  interest  that  attaches  to  its  existence.  They  have  been  on  tho 
outlook  for  it  during  the  last  twenty-live  or  thirty  years  at  least,  and  yet  they  luive 
not  a  single  occurrence  to  report.  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  K.  Champley  for  kindly 
sending  us  the  following  correspondence  from  the  Arctic  explorers.  Sir  F.  Leopold 
M'Clintock,  Captains  John  Uae  and  Allen  Young: — 


m 


36 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


48  HaRDWICK  iSTREKT,  DUBUN, 
9(A  January,  1860. 

Sir, — In  reply  to  your  note,  I  have  to  inform  you  tliat  the  Great  Auk  lias  not  been  met 
witli  by  any  of  the  modern  Arctic  expeditions.  I  was  told  in  South  Greenland  that  some 
twenty.five  years  ago  a  young  specimen  was  obtained,  but  am  not  at  all  certain  of  the  fact. 
Thj  resident  Europeans  are  quite  aware  of  the  value  attached  by  naturalists  to  that  bird, 
so  have  kept  a  sharp  look-out  for  it.  I  have  myself  collected  birds  during  my  four  Arctic 
voyages,  all  of  which  are  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society.  I  am  not 
aware  of  there  being  any  new  species  amongst  them. — I  am,  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

F.  L.  M'CUNTOCK. 

R.  CuAMPLKY,  Esq.,  Scarborough, 


^^^ 


fij 


'■i 


H.M.S,  "  BuLLDOo,"  Portsmouth, 

2Ut  November,  1860. 

Sir, — Nothing  has  come  to  my  knowledge  respecting  the  Great  Auk  during  my  late 
voyage  to  Iceland,  Greenland,  and  Labrador.  Captain  Young  will  have  quite  equal  and 
perhaps  greater  opportunities  than  I  have  had  of  ascerfciining  whether  it  still  exists  in  any 
of  those  Northern  seas. — I  am,  sir,  faithfully  yours, 

¥.  Leopolp  M'Ci.intouk. 
R  Champlby,  Esq. 


43  Hertford  Strkkt,  Matfair,  London, 
26(A  November,  1860. 

Sir, — I  regret  that  I  have  little  or  no  information  to  give  you  about  the  Great  Auk, 
although  I  questioned  many  persons  in  Iceland  about  ti.is  rare  if  not  extinct  bird.  An 
ineffectual  search  for  them  was  made  some  time  ago  on  an  island  or  islands  N.W.  {sic  S.AV.) 
of  Iceland,  where  they  had  previously  been  not  uncommcn,  as  bones  are  found  there  still  — 
Believe  me,  your  obedient  servant,  John  Rae. 

R,  Champley,  Esq. 


R.  CuAMPLEY,  Esq.,  Scarborough. 


Steam  Survbyino  Ship  "Fox,"  Southampton, 
November  30,  ISiiH. 


Sir, — In  reply  to  your  question  whether  we  saw  a  Groat  Auk,  I  caii  >  <ily  say  that  to 
the  best  of  ray  knowledge  tlie  bird  has  not  been  seen  f"r  many  years  upon  the  south  coast 
of  Greenlanil— I  am,  sir,  yours  obediently,  Allen  Younq. 


■nM 


^mmmmm 


{ I 


(    27   ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  REMAINS  OF  THE  GAREFOiVL-INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  SUBJECT- 
DISCOVERIES  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 

WE  shall  now  endeavour  to  trace  out  the  localities  at  which  remains  of  the 
Garefowl  have  been  discovered.  The  positions  in  which  such  remains  have 
been,  and  are  most  likely  to  be  found,  are  the  breeding-places  of  the  bird,  where 
numbers  might  die  a  natural  death,  or  being  killed  by  the  early  mariners  and 
fishermen,  their  bodies  were  left  lying  uncarod  for.  Plenty  of  their  fellows  in 
better  condition  than  themselves  being  found  to  provision  the  ships,  their  bleached 
bones  were  scattered  along  the  shore;  but  others  soon  becoming  buried  in  the 
immense  deposits  of  guano,  were  then  frozen  by  the  intense  cold  of  the  Newfound- 
land winter,  which  bound  up  everything  within  its  iron  grasp,  so  that  even  the 
intense  heat  of  summer  did  not  melt  the  soil  beyond  a  depth  of  from  two  to  three 
feet.  During  a  visit  to  Iceland  in  1858,  Professor  A.  Newton  and  Uv.  WoUey 
obtained  a  few  remains,  which  seemed  to  have  become  imbedded  in  turf,  that  had 
been  removed  from  the  sites  of  old  kitchen-middens.'-'  But  it  appears  to  us  that 
by  far  the  most  interesting,  from  every  point  of  view,  are  those  remains  that  have 
been  discovered  in  the  shell-mounds  of  North  America,''  Denmark,^  and  Scotland,* 
along  with  those  found  in  an  ancient  sea  cave  on  the  coast  of  the  north-east  of 
England.  Those  discoveries  all  point  to  the  existence  of  this  bird  at  one  time  in 
districts  where  it  has  long  been  unknown,  and  associate  it  with  the  early  inhabi- 
tants of  those  countries. 

-    .  Fl'XK    IwLANO. 

It  is  to  Ilerr  P.  Stuvitz,  a  naturalist  sent  out  by  the  Norwegian  Government 
during  1841  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  Newfouiulland  cod-fisheries,  that  wo 


i.  part'.')''""''"'  "^  "'"''"''  "^  ^'•"'f""'""''"'''"  Transactions  of  Nova-Sootia.  Institute  of  Natural  Science,  vol. 
•  Mr.  .r,  ■WoIIey'a  "Uesoarclu-s,"  H,U,  vol.  iii.,  ISIil,  pp.  .t9(-3!Mi 
»  "American  Naturalint,"  vol.  i.  pp.  374  r.7K.     J.  Wynian. 
<  "OverfliKtovorVi.lonskal.."    SeMalis  Konlhanlingor,  IH5r.,  S    13  "0   p   'WT 

zoo.o.v?:!;''::;:,:;^':;^':;^!  '"""""''•"  "'""•""  '"-"«•  "•»••''«««"-"  "i--"-.  ^-letywournai. 

pp.  3(ll'm""'  ""'■  '^'''""'  °^  NorthumbsrUnd,  Durham,  ana  NewcMtle-cn-Tyne,"  vol,  vii.  part  2,  1880. 


w 


28 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


owe  the  first  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  remains  of  the  Garefowl.'  In  liis 
report  he  mentioned  that  immense  numbers  of  a  bird  called  the  Penguin  used  to 
frequent  the  banks,  and  bred  upon  the  islands  off  the  coast.  His  Government, 
understanding  that  the  Penguin  was  a  bird  confined  to  the  southern  hemisphere, 
were  inclined  to  doubt  his  information.  This  led  Stuvitz  to  visit  Funk  Island,  and 
lie  there  obtained  a  quantity  of  remains,  which  he  sent  home.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  remains  in  Europe  they  were  discovered  to  have  belonged  to  the  Garefowl,  and 
have  proved  most  useful  in  identifying  bones  subsequently  found  in  other  localities.^ 

At  the  end  of  June  1811,  Stuvitz  was  at  St.  John's,  which  he  left  on  the 
;30th  of  that  month,  arriving  at  midday  on  the  131  st  at  Funk  Island,"  which  is 
170  miles  north  of  St.  John's,  and  about  iKl  miles  north-east-by-east  from  Capo 
Freels,  the  north  headland  of  Bonavista  Bay.'"  There  he  found  largo  quantities 
of  Garefowl  bones  lying  upon  the  shore,  and  the  remains  of  compounds  into  which 
the  birds  had  been  driven  to  bo  slaughtered." 

For  nearly  twenty  years  ^ve  hear  nothing  more  about  the  remains  on  Funk 
Island,  until  Professor  A.  Newton,  of  Cambridge,  believing  the  Garefowl  to  be 
probably  extinct,  realised  the  value  of  the  remains  that  might  be  still  obtainable. 
He  wrote  to  numerous  parties  in  Nova  Scotia,  in  the  liopo  of  interesting  them,  but 
without  effect,  until  he  received  the  promise  of  assistance  from  the  Rev.  Reginald 
M.  Johnson.  In  1863  that  gentleman  made  a  journey  to  Funk  IslanJ  himself, 
and  the  success  that  attended  his  efforts  was  beyond  his  expectations,  as  his 
researches  resulted  in  the  recovery  of  a  mummy  of  the  Garefowl  and  some  bones. 
^Ir.  Johnson  having  communicated  with  the  Bishop  of  Newfoundland,  that  gentle- 
man wrote  Professor  Newton  a  letter,  which  was  received  on  7th  November  18C3, 
and  the  mummy,  arriving  about  the  same  time,  was  submitted  to  a  meeting  of  the 
Zoological  Society,  London,  lield  on  the  lOth  of  that  month.'" 

During  the  year  1801  other  three  mummies  were  dug  out  at  Funk   Island 

'  "The  Garefowl  nml  its  HistorintiB,"  Natural  History  Review,  Wfi'i,  ji.  4H4. 

"  "  Videnskabelige  Meililelolser,"  1W5,  Nr.  .S-",  p.  !i4. 

■■'  Ibid.  pp.  (iS,  (i4. 

'"  "Annals  of  Natural  History,"  tliinl  series,  part  14.  "  Proceedings  of  .the  Zoological  Society."  Nov. 
10,  180,1. 

'I  "  Vidcnskabeligo  Moddelclser,"  lHri5,  Nr.  H-7,  p.  ''."i  (separate  eilitinn,  pp.  .'),')). 

'^  "  Auiials  of  Natural  History,"  third  series,  jiart  14,  p.  4;t.").  "  rnjceediiigs  of  Zoological  Society,"  lOtli 
Nov.  180:).  Tliis  paper  is  frmii  the  pi^n  of  TrofeHsor  A.  Newton,  and  tlie  writir  says  (p.  437) :— "  It  appears 
that  tlia  Colonial  (Juvernment  liavo  recently  conceded  to  n  .Mr.  Olinilim  the  privili'ije  of  remoTing  the  soil 
from  Funk  Island  ;  for  this  soil,  being  higldy  cliarged  with  organic  matter,  is  I'onseipiently  valuable  a.s  manure 
wlien  imported  to  Kustoii  and  other  jilaces  ii,  North  America."  I'rofessor  A.  Newton  then  informs  us  that 
tile  workmen  appear  to  ha^'e  done  tlieir  woik  very  effectually,  "  for  I  hear  tliat  they  brought  away  many 
punclieons  of  bones  ami  other  remains — of  course  not  all  necessarily  I'euguins.  ' 


III 


HH 


REMAINS  ON  FUNK  ISLAND. 


39 


I 


from  at  least  four  feet  below  the  surface,  and  from  vincler  ice  which  never  melts. 
The  Bishop  of  Newfoundland,  in  \Yriting  to  the  Nova  Scotian  Institute  of  Natural 
Science,  telling  of  the  disposal  of  these  specimens,  says — "  One  is  sent  to  Mr.  New- 
ton, another  to  Agassiz,  and  one  to  yourselves  ;  and  it  is  better  than  that  sent  to  Mr. 
Newton,  and  possibly  better  than  that  sent  to  Agassiz,  which  I  have  not  seen."  ^^ 

On  the  20th  July  1874  Funk  Island  was  visited  by  Mr.  (now  Professor)  John 
Milne,'*  who  wrote  an  account  of  what  he  saw  for  the  Field  newspaper,  and  after- 
wards published  it  in  a  separate  form,  under  the  title  of  "  Relics  of  the  Great  Auk 
on  Funk  Island."  He  describes  the  island  as  having  the  appearance,  at  a  distance 
of  half  a  mile,  of  a  smooth- bottomed  upturned  saucer,  slightly  elongated  into  an 
ellipsoidal  form  towards  its  north-eastern  extremity,  from  which  end  it  sloped 
more  gradually  up  from  the  sea  than  it  did  from  its  opposite  end.  The  island 
has  a  few  boulders,  and  the  rough  stonework  remains  of  several  compounds  on  its 
surface.  The  landing  is  rather  difficult.  The  number  of  sea-fowl  very  great, 
which  rise  in  a  shrieking  and  wailing  cloud  above  the  visitors.     He  says — 

"  Having  a  strong  wish  to  secure  some  relics  of  this  bird,  and  my  time  for 
their  discovery  being  limited  to  less  than  an  hour,  it  was  with  considerable  ex- 
citement that  I  rushed  from  point  to  point  and  overturned  the  turf.  At  nearly 
every  trial  bones  were  found,  but  there  was  nothing  that  could  be  identified  as 
ever  having  belonged  to  the  bird  for  which  I  searched.  At  tlie  eleventh  hour  the 
tide  turned,  and  in  a  grassy  hollow,  between  two  huge  boulders,  on  the  lifting  of 
the  first  sod  I  recognised  the  alcine  beak.  That  rare  element  called  luck  was  in 
operation.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  specimens,  indicating  the  pre-existence  of  at 
least  fifty  of  these  birds,  were  exhumed.  The  bones  were  found  only  from  one  to 
two  feet  below  the  surface,  and  in  places  even  projected  through  the  soil  into  the 
underground  habitations  of  the  puffins.  With  the  exception  of  one  small  tibia, 
and  two  or  three  tips  of  long  thin  beaks,  probably  those  of  the  tern,  all  the  bones 
were  those  of  the  Great  Auk.  .  .   . 

"  In  several  cases,  whilst  exhuming  the  skeletons,  I  noticed  the  vcrtebrtc 
followed  each  oth^r  si:"cessively,  and  were  evidently  in  the  same  position  which 
they  occupied  when  in  the  live  bird.  This  is  in  part  confirmed  by  one  curious 
case,  where  the  rootlet  of  some  plant  had  grown  through  the  neural  canal,  and 
expanded  so  as  to  fix  the  vertebra)  in  position.  This,  together  with  the  fact  that 
there   remains   no   evidence  of  cuts  or  blows,  leads  to  the  supposition  that  these 

' '  "  Tiniisiictioiis  of  Nova-8c()tinii  Institute  of  Niitiinil  Seieiico,"  vol.  i.  part  3. 
'*  Is  now  I'lofessm  in  tlie  Scliuol  of  Kngiiieering  in  Tokio,  Jap.iii. 


3° 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


:^      5 


birds  may  have  died  peacefully.  Nevertlioless,  it  may  be  that  they  were  the 
remains  of  some  great  slaughter,  when  the  birds  had  been  killed,  parboiled,  and 
despoiled  only  of  their  feathers,  after  which  they  were  thrown  in  a  heap,  such  as 
the  one  I  have  just  described."  "' 

Among  the  bones  discovered,  one  fragment  alone  showed  signs  of  having  been 
burnt.  But  a  feature  of  the  other  remains  that  struck  Professor  Milne  was  that 
some  of  the  bones  varied  much  in  size ;  and,  from  our  own  experience,  we  think 
it  quite  possible  that  certain  bones  may  belong  to  the  Alca  torda  or  razorbill,  as 
the  humeri  are  difficult  to  distinguish  from  those  of  the  Alca  impennis,  except 
by  the  size.     Professor  Owen  refers  to  this  resemblance.*" 

In  a  recent  work  on  Newfoundland  it  is  mentioned  tliat  the  Penguin  or 
Great  Auk  has  now  entirely  disappeared  from  that  coast.  Incredible  numbers 
were  killed  at  Funk  Island,  their  flesh  being  savoury  food,  and  their  feathers 
valuable.  There  being  no  wood  on  the  island,  heaps  of  them  wore  burnt  as  fuel, 
in  order  to  warm  water  in  which  others  were  steeped,  with  a  view  to  the  soften- 
ing of  their  skins,  and  the  consequently  easier  extraction  of  their  feathers.  The 
merchants  at  Bonavista  at  one  time  used  to  sell  these  birds  to  the  poor  people  by 
the  hundredweight  instead  of  pork." 

Another  writer  "*  mentions  that  the  Great  Auk  "  was  not  rare  "  in  certain 
parts  of  Newfoundland  within  remembrance  of  the  present  generation ;  but  wo 
think  this  statement  is  made  on  mistaken  authority. 

In  1867  a  Mr.  Wyuian'"  found  perfect  limb-bones  of  the  bird  in  shell  mounds 
near  Portland,  Maine,  uiid  in  Massachusetts,  U.S.  The  remains  are  said  to 
represent  parts  of  at  least  seven  individuals.'""  This  discovery  should  encourage 
American  arclia3ologists  to  make  further  search  in  similar  shell  deposits  near  their 
coasts,  for  we  feel  sure  their  labours  would  be  amply  repaid. 

'■>  "  Uelios  of  the  (ireiit  Auk  on  Funk  Islaml."  Mr.  .John  Milno,  1S74.  Also  in  Field  newspaper,  27t1i 
Marcli,  3(1  anil  10th  April  18"."i. 

"  " Zoolouicul  Transactions,"  vol.  v.  p.  330.  I'riifessor  Owen's  Description  of  Skeleton  of  Aim 
im)>eii>ni,  L. 

"  "Newfoundland  as  it  Was,  and  as  it  Is  in  1877."  By  the  Kev.  Thilip  Tocquo,  M.A.  London  and 
Toronto,  1S7H.     Mentioned  by  U.  Gray,  Ksq.,  "  I'roceediiigH  Koyul  Souiety,"  Edinburgh,  1S71I-S0,  p.  677. 

"  "  Field  and  Forest  Kamlilcs."    A.  Leith  Adams,  p.  30. 

"  Professor  iSteenstrup.  in  a  letter  datcil  IJJth  March  1885,  lias  been  kind  enough  to  inform  us  that  the 
Mr.  'Wyman  referred  to  is  Professor  .lelfries  Wynian,  the  cehbrated  anatomist. 

'-''  "American  Naturalist,"  vol.  i.  pji.  .'>74  .^78.  Also  in  a  paper  by  I'rofesaor  James  Orton.  The  copy 
of  this  |)aper,  which  we  have  seen,  has  evidently  been  cut  out  of  some  suientilic  magazine,  or  tht  proceedings 
of  a  society  ;  but  we  do  not  know  its  source  further  than  that  it  is  evidently  from  the  United  States.  It 
treats  of  the  American  remains,  and  refers  specially  to  the  skin  jirei^orved  in  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
AVushington.  In  a  footnote  to  page  540  the  author  says,  that  in  New  Kngland  bones  of  the  s|iccies  (Ureut 
Auk)  have  been  discovered  in  shell-lieapa  at  Marblehead,  UaglehiU  iu  Ipswich,  aud  I'lumb  Island. 


I 


-TTfrif  TW        ■_ 


(  31  ) 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  REMAINS  OF  THE  GAREFOWL  IN  DENMARK  AND  ICELAND. 
JJAVING  now  treated  of  the  American  locality,  we  shall  turn  to  tue  European 

been  tZr,i::LT'^ " ''-' ' '''-'  --^' '' ''-  -^-  ^'- '- 

Denmark. 

We   believe  it  is  to  Professor  Steenstrup  of  Copenhagen  that  the  credit 
nttaches  of  hanng  identified  the  first  bones  of  the  Garefowl  known  to  haveTeen 

IZe  ;°  f  "P^;:'"^^'  '"'':  '^'^ "^  ^*  Meilgaard  in  Jutland.     As  we  are  not 

awa  e  tha   any  of  hxs  papers  have  been  even  partially  published  in  English,  we  have 

bt  ined  the  per™:ss.on  of  Professor  Steenstrup  to  give  some  translations  of  parts 

of  then,,  kindly  furnished  us  by  a  friend.     The  first  extract  we  give  is  the  begin- 

he  Great  Auk,  and  it  was  the  discovery  of  the  first  bones  of  the  Alca  in^pennis 
bird      HeTa,°"-      '  '''  ''"'""^  '*""^*™P  *°  '''''^  '^^  ^-^^/^^  t^e 

"  In  the  investigation  of  the  kitchen-midden  of  the  primeval  people  (Over- 
B-gt  over  Vidonskab,  8elskabs,  Forhaudlinger,  1855,  S.  1.-20  og  385-388),  mong 
other  remains  were  found  some  traces  of  two  of  the  largor  bWs  not  no^^  found 
here,  vi. ,  the  Capercaillie  (mrao  urojallus,  L.),  and  of  a  larger  bird  of  the  Auk 
tribe,  which  must  be  regarded  as  the  as  good  as  extirpated  Garefowl.  Since  the  itst- 
named  bird  has  not  been  found  in  the  last  few  decenniums-no,  not  ev en  in  th  s 

he  some  few  miles  from  the  south  coast  of  Iceland ;  and  since  the  further  appear- 
ance  of  scattered  specin.ens,  driven  towards  the  north  or  western  coa^o  31 
belong  to  the  class  of  the  greatest  rarities,  the  proof  of  the  existence  of  man v 
^1-— ^h^ar^  „,La,ly  be  very TurX  Ice 


m 


32 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


\  V.-.i 


1      i 


that  must  indicate  that  this  bird  was  three  or  four  thousand  years  ago  found  down 
the  Cattegat. 

"  The  more  unexpected  this  discovery  was,  the  more  important  was  it  for  me 
to  be  able  to  place  beyond  doubt  the  explauatioa  of  the  discovered  bones.  This 
was  all  the  more  diflScult,  as  no  skeleton  of  this  rare  bird  existed  either  in  our 
own  museum,  or,  so  far  as  is  known,  in  any  other  museums."  But  as  I,  on  the 
one  hand,  found  perfect  agreement  between  the  discovered  bones  and  the  corre- 
sponding bones  of  all  the  lesser  European  birds  of  the  Auk  tribe,  and  on  the 
other  hand  found  certain  peculiarities  that  distinguished  the  former  from  the 
latter,  I  could  scarcely  go  wrong  in  declaring  the  bird  to  which  the  bones  belonged 
to  be,  in  the  first  place,  a  bird  of  the  Auk  tribe ;  in  the  second  place,  an  Auk  of 
the  size  of  a  goose ;  and  lastly,  an  Auk  in  the  highest  degree  fitted  for  swimming 
and  diving,  but  utterly  unsuited  for  flight, — a  state  of  matters  only  applying 
among  all  known  species  of  this  family  to  the  Alca  iinpcunis  of  Linnaaus.  In 
this  opinion  I  was  quite  confirmed  by  a  remarkable  combination  of  circumstances. 
Among  a  little  circle  of  Scandinavian  naturalists  it  was  known  that  the  Nor- 
wegian naturalist,  P.  Stuvitz,  whom  his  Government  had  sent  out  on  account  of 
the  fisheries  to  Newfoundland  and  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  North  American 
continent,  had  sent  homo  some  bones  of  birds  from  a  little  i.sland  off  the  coast 
either  of  Labrador  or  Newfoundland.  These  bones  were  found  in  large  heaps  on 
the  shore,  and  after  their  arrival  in  this  country  they  were  declared  to  bo  the 
bones  of  the  Garofowl.  This  could  be  asserted  of  them  all  the  more  certainly  as 
there  were  found  among  them,  in  addition  to  all  the  essential  bones  of  the 
skeleton,  a  not  inconsiderable  number  of  crania,  and  these  crania  agreed  in  every 
respect  with  those  which  one  had  from  the  few  stufl'ed  specimens.  Some  of  those 
bones,  sent  by  Stuvitz,  had  luckily  been  presented  to  the  Zootomical  Museum  of 
the  University,  and,  moreover,  some  of  them  belonged  to  the  same  parts  of  the 
skeleton  as  the  bones  now  under  discussion  that  had  been  found  in  the  primitive 
kitchen-middens.^  On  laying  the  two  sets  side  by  side,  one  could  not  doubt  that 
it  was  birds  of  the  same  species  that  had  been  eaten  in  both  places,  and  thus  the 
liones  from  our  kitchen-middens  found  the  best  materials  for  their  perfectly  certain 


'  For  list  of  skeletons,  see  p.  K2.  These  were  not  reconied  at  the  time  Professor  .J.  Hteenstrup  wrote  his 
imper,  so  were  quite  unknown  to  liini. 

**  III  .1  letter  ditted  l.")th  Sliirch  ISSf)  Professor  Steenstiup  informs  us  as  follows  ie|;ar(liiig  these  hones  : — 
"  Presented  to  the  Zootomical  Museum  of  thu  Koyal  University  here.  Tlie  director  of  this  museum  was  at 
that  time  Professor  Kschricht.  After  his  death  the  cuuteuls  uf  *.hU  museum  weut  partly  to  the  Zoological 
and  partly  to  the  I'hysiological  Museum." 


^mE^sp 


■5- 


DANISH  REMAINS. 


33 


explanation  in  bones  from  similar  refuse  heaps  on  the  east  coast  of  North  America, 
which  up  to  that  time  had  not  received  the  attention  which  they  deserved." 

The  foregoing  gives  a  very  accurate  account  of  the  obstacles  that  had  to 
be  overcome  by  the  now  venerable  scientist,  and  every  person  interested  in  the 
history  of  the  Garefowl  must  feel  under  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  him  for  his  labours 
and  be  encouraged  by  the  success  of  his  investigations  when  surrounded  by 
apparently  insurmountable  difficulties. 

The  bones  from  Meilgaard  were  three  in  number — viz.,  two  right  humeri  and 
a  radius  from  the  right  side  of  the  bird,  and  were  discovered  in  an  ancient  kitchen- 
midden.  Two  of  these  bones  were  figured  (a  humerus  and  a  radius,  two  views  of 
each)  along  with  three  bones  of  the  Capercaillic,  and  form  the  principal  plate  to  the 
elaborate  paper  on  the  Great  Auk  published  by  Professor  J.  Steenstrup,  and  from 
which  we  have  just  given  a  short  (juotation.  Tiiis  plate  has  been  reproduced  with 
even  greater  excellence  than  at  first,  and  appears  in  connection  with  another 
Danish  publication  issued  during  1855,^  and  in  which  the  following  description  of 
the  bones  is  given  along  with  the  writer's  comments.  He  says — "  I  have  recognised 
the  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl,  AIca  imjicnnis,  h,  in  several  bones  from 
Meilgaard.  That  this  large  northern  bird,  the  only  bird  in  Eui'ope  which  on 
account  of  the  smallness  of  its  wings  is  not  in  a  condition  to  tly,  should  occur 
among  the  remains  of  the  meals  of  our  primeval  people  must  certainly  appear  in 
the  highest  degree  striking,  but  it  receives  corroboration  from  the  following  bones 
found  there  : — 

"  I.  A  riijlit  humcnis,  agreeing  entirely  in  form  with  the  humerus  of  an  Alca 
tarda  or  razorbill,  but  in  size  double  of  it,  4  inches  (Danish)  long,  7  lines  (Danish) 
broad,  and,  since  the  bone  formation  in  this  group  of  birds  is  so  significant, 
certainly^  pointing  to  an  Auk  in  size  like  a  goose.  The  bone  belongs  fortunately 
to  the  few  that  have  not  been  injured  by  the  gnawing  of  dogs,  but  it  bears  on  its 
surface  one  or  two  sharp  scratches,  marks  of  the  knives  of  the  primeval  inhabi- 
tants.    It  belongs  to  an  old  bird. 

"II.  Aiwt/icr  hiiinrri'.s  from  the  same  side,  and  conseciuontly  belonging  to 
another  individual.  It  is  not  nearlj'  so  much  compressed  as  the  foregoing,  and 
thus  belongs  perhaps  to  a  somewhat  younger  bird  ;  both  its  ends  are  bitten  off,  and 


*  I'lulersosjclsiT  i  K^ologisk  -niitiiivarisk  Kctiiiiig  af  CI.  Foiclilinninicr,  Etatsrnail  og  Professor,  J.  Steen- 
Btrup,  IVofessiir,  og  J.  Worsaai',  I'rofL'ssor.  Kjii'ienliavn,  IMu'i.  Tiaiisliitcil  -  Hesearclics  in  Geology  ami  Auti- 
(fuities,  by  Privy  t'ouncillor  ami  IN'oftjs^or  U.  Forcliliuiuincr,  Professor  .1,  Steenstrup,  and  Professor  J. 
Worsaae,     t'opeuhageu,  1S55,  pp.  105  171.     (Uei>riut  froui  Proceejiugs  of  Koyal  Uauish  Societj  of  Sciences.) 


T 


mil 


Hi 


m 


34 


THE  GRl 


jk,  or  GAREFOWL. 


bear  marks  of  tlie  edges  of  teetli.  The  cavity  insiile  is  less  tlian  in  the  Alca  tordu, 
and  points  to  the  conclusion  that  the  lurcl  was  not  able  to  fly.° 

"  III.  2'hc  nuUus  from  the  right  side  of  an  old  bird,  slightly  injured  at  the 
ends.  Its  peculiar  short  compressed  form  is  entirely  ditlerent  from  that  of  the 
Alca  torda,  and  showa  conclusively  that  the  forearm  has  been  short,  and  that  the 
wing  has  not  been  adapted  for  flight,  as  is  the  case  in  the  Ahu  inqicnniti,  L. 

"  Now,  unless  wo  suppose  that  these  bones  belong  to  some  extinct  and 
hitherto  unknown  species  of  Auk,  which  1ms  had  not  only  the  same  size  but  tho 
same  proportion  in  its  wing  as  tho  Great  Auk,  we  can  only  refer  them  to  that  now 
as  good  as  extinct  bird.  On  placing  the  bones  above  mentioned  alongside  of  tho 
corresponding  bones  of  the  Great  Auk  and  comparing  them,  I  found  such  a  com- 
plete agreement  that  I  cannot  entertain  the  slightest  doubt  that  they  belong  to 
that  species.  As,  however,  it  must  bo  acknowledged  that  no  skeleton  of  this  bird 
exists  in  our  museums,  and  indeed  will  hardly  be  found  in  any  nnisoum  in  Europe," 
I  shall  add  that  that  comparison  was  conducted  in  the  case  of  the  rtidiushy  means 
of  the  perfect  forearm  and  hand  (wing  and  wing  extremities),  which  were  taken  for 
that  purpose  out  of  the  stuffed  specimen  of  this  rare  bird  belonging  to  the  Uni- 
versity ;  whilst  the  two  humeri  were  compared  with  some  loose  bones  which  Pro- 
fessor Eschricht  at  the  Naturalist's  Congress  at  Christiania  got  for  tho  Zootomical 
Museum  of  the  University,^  and  which  the  deceased  Norwegian  naturalist, 
P.  Stuvitz,  had  collected  in  his  time  on  an  island  near  tho  coast  of  Labrador  (dc^ 
should  be  Newfoundland)  ;  it  so  happening  by  good  chance  that  among  them 
there  were  found  two  liumeri,  and  these  too  belonging  to  the  sumo  side  of  the  bird 
as  the  humeri  in  question. 

"  The  unexpected  appearance  of  this  bird's  bones  in  a  kitchen-midden  in  tho 
innermost  part  of  the  Cattegat  cannot  but  call  forth  speculations  as  to  tho  cause 
of  its  being  found  there,  seeing  that  the  Great  Auk  now  lives  so  far  from  our 
coasts,  and  has  such  a  limited  area  of  diffusion.     It  is  certainly  possible  that  its 

'  M'c  do  not  give  a  rcprmluiliim  of  tlic  pliite  in  connection  witli  Prof.  .T.  Steenstriip's  vnluablo  paper,  a« 
wo  give  illustrations  of  liumori  fonnil  in  Scotland.     See  p.  44  :inil  ri;ite  p.  Hi), 

"  At  the  time  tlie  above  was  written,  tlielearneil  Profea.sor  wa.seviilently  unaware  of  some  of  the  skeletons 
of  the  Alra  iiHpfmiiA,  I,.,  preserved  in  Knt-opea^i  Museum  (see  p.  82).  Professor  Steenstruj)  writes  lis  on 
inth  Ifarch  1S8.1,  and  referring  to  the  note  saya,  "I  think  that  the  respective  musennis  did  not  know  them- 
selves that  they  possessed  tho  inquire<l  for  skeletons.  In  Paris,  at  least,  until  1859,  the  skeleton  could  not 
be  found. 

'  Professor  Steenstrnp  informs  us.  in  a  letter  dated  1.")tli  starch  ISS."),  that  "Zootomienl  Jtuseum  "  is  the 
correct  term.  In  the  original  from  which  the  translation  is  made,  the  bones  are  said  to  have  been  got  for  tho 
AnatomicoPliysiological  Museum,  and  it  is  probable  they  are  nt  w  preserved  there.  (For  explanation,  see 
note,  p.  32.) 


w 


DANISH  REMAINS. 


35 


appearance  tliere  is  entirely  clue  to  chance,  and  that  the  individuals  from  which 
the  bones  proceeded  may  have  been  isolated  birds  driven  there  by  stress  of  weather, 
but  still  that  is  not  very  probable.  For  it  is  to  bo  remembered  that  the  bones  be- 
long certainly  to  two,  and  perhaps  to  three  individuals ;  that  consideration  for  one 
thing  diminishes  the  probability  of  the  bird's  appearance  there  being  merely  casual. 
Then,  moreover,  the  remains  of  these  individuals  turned  up  in  the  very  small  part 
of  the  midden  which  has  been  examined  this  year  (1851),  and  there  is  certainly 
no  ground  for  assuming  that  the  part  hitherto  unexamined,  and  that  is  by  far  the 
larger  part,  will  be  destitute  of  a  duo  share  of  Auk  bones  in  proportion  to  other 
bones.  Such  at  least  is  our  experience  with  regard  to  the  other  rarer  animal  re- 
mains preserved  in  these  refuse  heaps.  The  bones  of  the  beaver,  the  marten,  and 
the  wild-cat  have  continued,  on  the  whole,  to  turn  up  in  essentially  a  uniform 
ratio  to  the  other  numerous  bones  as  the  excavations  arc  gradually  carried  on. 

"  But  should  we  agree  to  the  probable  supposition  that  there  really  appear 
here  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  representing  not  a  few  individuals,  we  must  also 
take  as  granted  a  more  regular  appearance  of  this  bird  upon  our  shores  in  former 
times,*  nay  more,  since  that  would  not  agree  well  with  the  bird's  present  limited 
diffusion  over  the  northern  seas,  we  must  assume  a  wider  area  for  it  altogether  in 
past  ages,  for  the  only  spot  on  the  seas  of  northern  Europe  where  this  bird  is 
known  to  have  had  during  this  century  a  place  of  resort  at  all  fixed  are  the  little 
volcanic  rocks  to  the  south  of  Iceland,"  called  the  Geirfuglasker  (Groat  Auk 
Skerries),  on  which  indeed  small  bands  of  these  birds  seem  to  have  had  some- 
thing like  a  permanent  abode ;  but  yet  these  bands  were  so  limited  in  number 
that  a  casual  capture  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  of  them,  such  as  took  place  for 
example  during  1830-31,  and  in  the  commencement  of  the  century  in  1813, 
appears  to  have  left  its  impression  for  a  long  time  thereafter  in  the  diminished 
number  of  the  birds  obterved  or  caught  by  later  travellers. 

"  Outside  of  these  i*ocks  an  isolated  bird  has  now  and  then,  and  after  an 
interval  of  some  or  many  years,  been  seen  on  different  spots  of  the  southern 
shores  of  Iceland  ;  but  everything  shows  that  such  have  been  only  casual  visi- 
tants.    During  lust   century,  on   the  other  hand,   it  seema  also  to  have  lived, 

"  More  recent  iliscoveiiosiluiing  excavations  in  Penniaik,  nnd  to  wliicli  wo  refer  in  tlie  pages  immediately 
following;,  hIiow  tliat  I'lofossor  Sleenatruii's  supixisitiiin  is  correct,  and  that  the  Alia  imiioiiiis.  L.,  w«8  no 
caiiual  visitant  to  tlie  sboies  of  the  Cattc^at  in  early  times. 

"  I  he  only  one  of  the  (ieirfuglasker  un  which  the  (ireat  Auk  bred  in  recent  times  was  situated  off  Cajie 
Heykjanes,  on  the  south-west  of  Iciland.  This  skerry  was  sulinicrgcd  during  a  volcanic  disturbance  in  ISiiO 
(see  p.  IS),  when  the  CJrcat  Auk  found  u  new  breeding  place  on  Eldey,  p.  20. 


m 


<ilj|i 


}m' 


id 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


II 


i 


I! 


Mt. 


>m 


although  only  in  exceedingly  few  and  rare  individuals,  on  the  Fiircie  Islands 
(Mohr.  Landt.),  perhaps  also  on  the  rocks  off  the  coast  of  Siindmiir  (Striim), 
whilst  already  at  the  beginning  of  that  century  it  had  become  a  casual  visitant, 
which  was  seen  only  now  and  then  after  intervals  of  many  years,  at  St.  Kilda,  the 
westmost  of  the  Scottish  islands  (Macaulay),  where,  however,  it  had  regularly 
bred,  on  to  near  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  (Martin). 

"  On  the  American  side  of  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean  the  Great  Auk  does 
not  seem  to  have  had  any  better  fate,  for  the  older  accounts  (those  of  Egedo, 
Crantz,  Glahn,  Fabricius)  show  us  clearly  enough  that  the  Great  Auk  was  seen 
regularly  a  hundred  years  ago,  although  extremely  rare,  off  the  coasts  of  Southern 
Greenland,  and  that  it  bred  there  at  least  now  and  then  (Fabricius) ;  but  these 
few  remains  had,  as  it  seems,  altogether  disappeared  by  the  beginning  of  this 
century  (HoUboU  and  Heinhardt). 

"  Its  appearance  on  the  Labrador  coast  is  more  than  doubtfid.  Now,  as  we 
know  no  bird  to  which  nature  has  given  such  a  limited  diffusion  and  an  exist- 
ence in  so  few  individuals,  we  are  bound,  after  the  analogy  of  all  other  higher 
animals,  and  especially  of  those  more  nearly  allied,  to  assume  that  the  Great  Auk 
has  in  times  past  had  a  much  wider  area  of  dispersion  ;  and  as  we  have  been  able 
in  the  last  two  or  three  centuries  to  see  it  disappear  more  and  more  from  the 
more  southerly  zones  of  its  area,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  this  limitation 
in  its  diffusion  had  begun  in  earlier  centuries,  and  that  in  these  early  times  the 
bird  went  much  further  down  along  the  coasts  of  England  (sic,  he  means  Britain) 
and  Scandinavia,  but  was  gradually  forced  to  disappear  from  them  in  consequence 
of  the  persecutions  of  man.  For,  being  unable  to  fly,  it  was  entirely  in  man's 
power  whenever  it  crept  up  upon  the  lower  rocks  and  cliffs  of  the  shore,  as,  of 
course,  must  have  been  the  case  during  hatching  time ;  and  even  if  the  old  bird 
should  escape  man  by  seeking  the  water  betimes  and  abandoning  to  him  its  egg 
or  its  downy  chicken,  still  the  species  would  suffer  then  a  heavier  loss  than  would 
any  of  the  other  birds  inhal)iting  the  sea  cliffs,  inasmuch  as  these  in  general 
attempt  to  lay  a  second  or  a  third  set  of  eggs,  which  the  Great  Auk  never  does. 
From  such  a  southern  breeding-zone  it  might  easily  be  conceivinl  that  the  bird 
also  could  reach  the  Cattcgat  more  regularly  during  the  colder  months  by  swim- 
ming— if  it  should  not  be  preferred  to  suppose  the  birds  lived  here  also  through 
the  summer  months,  which  I  do  not  think  at  all  improbable.  It  is  difficult  to 
see  how  it  should  not  thrive  here  equally  well  with  the  many  birds  allied  to  it, 
the  razorbill,  for  example.     Naumann  thinks  that  the  history  of  the  puffin  pre- 


DANISH  REMAINS. 


37 


sents  a  similar  phenomenon,  for  in  former  times  that  bird  inliabited  the  cliffs  of 
Heligoland  in  a  large  colony,  but  has  now  diniinishod  to  a  very  small  one,  and 
when  that  little  colony  has  disappeared,  as  will  bo  the  case,  it  is  to  bo  feared,  in 
a  Hhort  time,  then  the  zone  within  which  the  puflin  breeds  will  have  its  limit 
shifted  all  at  once  several  degrees  to  tho  north  and  west. 

"  Writers  often  express  themselves  regarding  the  Great  Auk  as  if  they 
assumed  that  its  individuals  withdrew  northwards  in  consequenco  of  persecu- 
tions to  more  inaccessible  places,  and  as  if  they  ought  to  be  found  in  large 
numbers  along  the  shores  of  Spitzbergen  and  North  America;  but  to  judge  from 
what  we  have  learned  np  to  this  time  (1855),  there  would  seem  to  be  little 
foundation  for  any  such  assumption.  St  itz  came  upon  bones  of  it  in  large 
numbers  on  tho  little  island  of  Fvi/o  {sir,  should  be  Funk  Island),  off  the  shores  of 
Labrador  (sic,  should  bo  Newfoundland),  but  these  bones  belonged  solely  to  birds 
that  had  been  eaten ;  living  ones  do  not  seem  to  exist  on  these  coasts.  Did  they 
exist  there  they  would  bo  seen  now  and  then,  specimens  would  occasionally 
Hud  their  way  to  Europe,  and  tho  biril  would  not  remain  the  rare  and  costly 
thing  it  is. 

"In  conclusion,  it  is  a  noteworthy  coincidence  that  the  bones  of  this  bird, 
found  in  the  kitchen-middens  of  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  Denmark,  should 
find  their  best  elucidation  in  bones  found  under  similar  circumstances  in  Labrador 
(sic,  should  bo  Newfoundland)." 

The  foregoing  are  the  conclusions  formed  in  the  mind  of  tho  learned  Pro- 
fessor at  the  time  of  tho  discovery  of  tho  first  remains  of  tho  Great  Auk  in 
Denmark,  but  since  that  time  his  opinions  have  received  remarkable  confirmation ; 
and  during  the  summer  of  the  following  year  (1856),  a  second  discovery  was  made 
in  a  kitchen-midden  at  Havelse,  situated  at  tho  southern  part  of  tho  Issefiord  in 
Seeland,  which  led  I'rofessor  Steenstrup  to  write  another  paper  on '"  the  Alca 
ivqunnis,  L.     Of  that  paper  we  are  enabled  to  givo  tlio  following  translation: — 

"  From  the  kitchen-midden  of  the  primeval  inhabitants  at  Havelse,  I  have 
during  tho  present  summer  (1850),  got  for  the  museum  a  number  of  bones,  jjartly 
collected  by  myself  and  partly  by  Herr  Feddersen,  who  by  tho  work  of  collecting 
lias  more  than  onco  aided  my  pakcological  researches.  The  most  important  of 
the  contributions  thereby  made  to  the  investigations  of  our  pre-historic  fauna 


'"  Unileraogclser  i  geologisk— nnticivurisk  Retiiing  p.(  fl.  Forchlmmmer,  J.  Steenstru)),  og  J,  'Worsaoe,  Pro. 
fesnors.  Kjoboiilmvn,  1856.  Translated— Researches  in  Geology  and  Autiiiuities,  by  Professors  G.  Forcli- 
Immnier,  J.  Stoenstniii,  and  J.  Worsuae.    Copeuhngen,  1856,  pp.  1S5  88. 


1 
lij 


me 


38 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


m  undoubtedly  n  hinncriiK  duj^  up  by  Ilcrr  Fuddersnu,  boldiigiiitj  to  11  bird  of 
tho  Ho-cnllcd   black  fiuuily   (Sivi/fiii/li),^^   (ind  of  that  family   in   particuliir  to 

an  Auk.  That  Iwne  hos  at  tho  same  tinio  belonged 
to  an  individual  that  mu.st  have  boon  larger  than 
tho  largest  specimen  of  our  common  Auk,  tho  razor- 
bill (Alf'i  (onla,  L.),  whilst  it  is  considerably 
smaller  than  the  corresponding  bone  of  the  Great 
Auk  (AIca  iwjiiiiniif,  L.),  as  will  bo  seen  if  tho 
reader  will  compare  tho  woodcuts  on  tho  next  page 
wilh  figure  4  in  my  last  paper  (see  Professor  Steon- 
strup's  original  papore,  or  compare  reproduction  of 
woodcut,  p.  38,  with  figs.  10,  11,  12,  15,  i)late,  p.  80), 
which  represents  in  exactly  its  natural  size  tho 
same  bone  of  the  Great  Auk,  and  that  too  from 
the  same  side.  Besides  the  size  of  tho  bone,  wo 
must  also  notice  its  very  small  and  much  com- 
pressed inner  cavity,  and  its  exceedingly  thick 
osseous  walls.  Tho  smallness  of  tho  cavity  shows 
that  tho  bone  could  not  have  come  from  any  flying 
bird,  and,  taken  along  with  tho  thickness  of  tho 
osseous  walls,  shows  also  that  that  want  of  capacity  to  fly  is  not  to  bo  explained 
by  the  hypothesis  that  the  bird  was  a  young  one  with  imperfectly  developed 
wings,  but  rather  by  supposing  that  it  was  an  old  bird  of  a  kind  altogether 
unsuited  for  flight,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Alf(t  impennis.  L.  If,  contrary  to  what 
now  seems  most  natural,  an  increased  supply  of  Great  Auk  hemes  should  prove 
that  the  bono  rather  belonged  to  a  young  bird,  and  this  may  happen,  for  there 
does  not  seem  to  be  at  present  in  tho  museums  of  Europe  a  single  perfect  skeleton 
of  the  bird,'"  much  less  bones  of  birds  of  different  ages,  then  we  have  proof  not 
only  that  the  bird  was  found  in  prehistoric  times  on  our  islands  and  their  fjords, 
but  also  that  it  lived  there  during  its  breeding  season.  But  if  tho  bone  belongs, 
as  everything  seems  to  indicate,  to  an  old  bird,  then  it  shows  cither  that  the  Alca 
impennis,  L.,  must  have  presented  an  unusual  diversity  of  size,  or  else  that  it  must 

"  "Svartfugle"=tlie  family  of /I'rnfm,  cinituining  tlie  genera  Vriu,  Alia,  Meiyvltm,  Miirnum,  nnmod 
Mack  binU  because  tlieir  colnur  is  so  ilark,  coiitrasting  witli  tlie  wliite  or  wliitisli  coliiur  of  tlic  (iiffcreiit 
specii'S  of  Lnrua  Biul  Fulmurus,  uestiin;  oil  the  same  iilaces,  oi  seen  iii  their  iiciijbbourhuod. 

'-  Sea  Hole,  p.  'M. 


Roprr>ilnctinu  of  figure  of  r»  hiwirrHndng 
nil  by  lUrr  KuJiUrseii  iii  18,')ll. 


-!P 


DANISH  REMAINS. 


39 


liivvo  had  co-existent  with  it  n  smaller  Bpccios  likewise  unsnited  for  flight,  whicli 
has  ilisappcnred  and  been  extirpated  along  with  it.  This  latter  appearH  to  mo  tho 
more  probable  theory.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  this  bone  certainly  raises 
interesting  questionr,  materials  for  whoso  solntion  it  will  be  important  to 
gather."  " 

Professor  Steenstrup  then  goes  on  to  state  liis  opinions  as  to  tho  area  over 
which  the  Great  Ank  lias  been  distributed.  lie  refers  to  the  great  numbers  of 
the  birds  on  tho  islands  off  tho  coasts  of  North  America  during  historic  times, 
mentions  Funk  Island  as  its  last  stronghold  in  that  region,  and  states  that  tho 
mistake  he  made  in  his  former  paper  '*  regarding  tho  name  of  this  island,  when 
referring  to  tho  riMuains  obtained  by  Ilerr  Stuvitz,  arose  from  the  tickets  attached 
to  tho  bones  bearing  tho  namo  of  Fogo  Island. 

In  answer  to  our  inquiries  for  information  regarding  the  further  tllscovcries 
of  Great  Auk  remains  in  Denmark,  Professor  Steenstrup  writes  as  follows,  under 
date  8th  April  18H2  :  "The  other  localities  where  I  liave  found,  or  from  where  I 
liavo  got  tho  Iwnes  of  the  Garefowl,  aro  the  kitchen-middens  at  Fannerup,  not  far 
from  Aleilgaard,  and  at  Gudumlund,  some  English  miles  south  of  the  Limfjord, 
consequently  also  in  Jutland,  and  here  in  Scelanil  from  Sillager  kitchen-middeu 
situated  at  tho  northern  jjart  of  the  Issefjord." 

Some  of  the  Kjiikkenmilddings  or  kitchen-middens  have  long  been  known 
in  various  parts  of  Denmark,  and  at  one  time  were  supposed  to  be  raised  beaches, 
because  they  were  found  scattered  along  tho  sea  coast,  especially  on  tho  slopes  or 
banks  of  tho  n\imerous  fjords  which  now  or  formerly  intersected  tho  country.  At 
length  it  was  discovered  that  these  supposed  raised  beaches  were  really  artificial, 
and  contained  the  remains  of  a  prehistoric  population  and  fauna  that  belonged  to 


*'  III  oonneotion  with  whiit  Profeasor  Steenstrup  mentions,  wo  would  refer  tho  rentier  to  a  remark  mmlo 
by  Mr.  Kyton,  who  bccunie  the  potsHOsanr  of  one  of  tlie  Great  Auk  skeletons  constructed  from  bones  brought 
from  Kunk  Isliintl  («eo  p.  100).  In  writing  to  rrofessor  Williain  ISIasius,  who  (quotes  his  let'.r  in  his  work 
("ITeberrcste  Von  Aloii  inipennis  "  p.  l.'i,'t),  he  says  :  "This  skeleton  was  so  ilifTerent  in  appearance  from  that 
to  be  found  in  Newton's  collection  jnJ  figured  by  Owen,  that  ho  could  almost  suppose  there  had  been  two 
species  of  Oreat  Auk."  ProfeKsor  IMasitm,  after  ([Uoting  this  statement,  remarks:  "To  judge  from  tho 
figures,  Kyton  8  skidetou  ajipiara  to  have  belonged  to  a  small  female  bird,  whereby  proliably  tho  diversity 
canbeuxidained."  Pinfessor  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  to  us  dated  Ith  February  lS,'-5,  says:  "  '  I'nknown  variety 
of  (Ireat  .Vuk,'-  so  I  tlieii  said  ;  but  since  that  time  the  many  bones  (>f  Ah''t  iiufitnnig,  brought  from  a  small 
island  near  the  coast  of  Newfoundlauil  {Funk-  I.ififntt)t  liave  >hown  us  a  rather  great  variation.  I  think  not 
less  n  ipiile  iiitliri'liinl  tlian  a  sexual  variation."  Professor  Xewtnii,  in  his  pa|ier  on  Mr,  .1,  Wolley's  "  Ue- 
searclies,"  //<i.<,  IHtil,  ]),  ;t'.C>,  makes  the  following  statement  regarding  the  bones  found  in  Iceland  :  "Among 
the  si)eeimens  wo  collected  there  arc  several  iu  which  certain  ditlvrvuces,  probubly  the  result  of  age  or  8e.\, 
uro  observable." 

•♦  See  page  37  of  this  vol. 


I,--'; 


""Hnig.ir  "WlT''i''"'r^'BPT'*'IWiffTB 


40 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL, 


m\ 


the  Stone  Ago.  As  might  be  expected,  tlio  Kjdkkonmodding.s  vary  greatly  in 
size  and  appearance.  One  of  the  largest  and  earliest  explored  isthatofMeilgaard, 
situated  about  two  miles  from  the  sea  in  a  beautiful  beach  forest  called  "  Aigholm 
Wood,"  between  which  and  the  sea  are  high  dunes  of  drifting  sand,  through  which 
the  tops  of  trees  are  sometimes  seen  protruding.  This  shell  mound  covers  an 
oblong  space  of  about  310  feet  in  length  and  120  in  breadth,  with  a  deposit  of  a 
maximum  thickness  of  10  feet.  The  Kjiikkenmodding  at  Fannerup  is  now  about 
ten  miles  from  the  sea,  situated  ou  the  border  of  a  flat  district  which  within 
historic  times  has  been  an  arm  of  the  sea,  but  afterwards  became  a  fresh-water 
lake,  and  is  now  to  a  certain  extent  dry  land.  The  one  at  Gudumhuid  was 
situated  on  a  southern  expansion  or  bay  of  the  Limfiord,  but  at  present  is 
separated  from  the  sea  by  an  extensive  peat  bog." 

Wo  have  b(>en  unable  to  ascertain  the  date  of  the  discovery  of  the  Fannerup 
middens,  and  also  the  number  of  bones  of  the  Aka  impcnnis,  L.,  obtained  at  this 
locality.  The  excavations  at  Gudumluiid  and  Siilnger  were  continued  during 
1873,  and  resulted  in  the  finding  of  bones  of  three  individuals  at  each  place.'"  The 
work  at  both  places  was  conducted  by  the  director  of  the  Zoological  Museum  and 
his  friends,  and  the  ex|ienses  of  the  excavations  at  SiJlager  were  borne  by  the 
Royal  Danish  Society  of  Sciences.  The  result  of  these  investigations  at  the 
dwelling-places  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  coasts  of  Denmark  has  been 


"'  "Danish  Kjiikkeiimuilclings,  their  Facta  Hiul  Inferences."  l>y  Robert  Munro,  Esq.,  M.. A.,  M.D.  "I'ro- 
cce(lin!!»  of  Scottish  .Society  of  Antiquiiries,"  IHSH-S-I,  pp.  21C-225.  This  writer  stiitcs  thut  the  organic  re- 
niiiins  founil  in  tlio  Kjiikkenmiiililings  iiix-  as  follows  ;  — 

1.  S//f//rf.f/i.— Oyster,  cockle,  find  mussel  (most  coin!n"n),  Vi'inia  iKthiiitt'nt  V.  aurc<it  TnijoncUa  }^lan<i, 
Naua  reticulata,  and  Lilturiua  litturta  (most  common  of  their  kind),  Liltvriiui  vbtumttt,  liuccinum  iimldluiii, 
Hilix  siriijiUit,  J[.  iicmunilix,  iind  Curocnlld  luinriiln. 

2.  Fish. — Herring,  cod  {l/mliis  ciiUnrina  iind  ii>;W»im),  eel,  and  flounder  or  dub. 

3.  JUriis,  —  Kugle,  cormorant,  mew.  wild  duck  and  goose  (most  conmion),  swan  {Cygnus  ulur  ct  inusit'us), 
capercailzie  {Tt'lytui  ifroiniUns),  and  groat  auk  {Aii'n  iniiifnitin). 

4.  ;l/((m)H(i/i(i.— Stag,  roedeer,  and  wild  boar  (most  common),  virus  (/*os  priiiiii/eiiiiia),  dog,  fox,  wolf, 
marten  (Mnntiln  nuirtct  et  fuinu),  bedgeihtg,  otter,  seal,  iioijioise,  water-rat,  mouse,  beaver,  wild  cat,  lynx, 
and  bear  {Ui;iifn  arct(t.f). 

5.  Veijftii'ile  yiVm«i)is.— Except  ashes  and  ebarcoal,  the  litter  of  which  on  being  ."inalysed  w..i  found  to 
belong  mostly  to  a  species  of  pine,  and  tlie  cliai led  remains  of  some  kind  of  uea  plant,  no  other  ])rotluct3  of 
the  vegiiablo  kingdom  were  found  in  any  of  the  Kjiikkenmiiildings. 

From  the  above  list  it  will  he  observed  that,  except  in  the  solitary  instance  of  the  dog,  the  ordinary 
domestic  animals,  as  tlie  eominon  liarn  fowl,  domestic  ox,  horse,  sheep,  goat,  and  dnjiiestic  hog,  are  unrepre- 
sented. In  addition,  we  have  al.-o  to  note  the  absence  of  the  mammoth  and  all  the  tjtberextinct  or  emigrated 
mainmalia  of  the  raheolithic  period,  including  the  leindeer,  bison,  nioosedeer  (t\niis  ulccs),  musk  ox,  and 
hare. 

"  Professor  Steenstrup  informs  u»  in  a  letter,  dateil  lolh  March  IW,"),  "  that  excavations  were  carrieil  on 
at  both  (judumluud  and  .Solager  several  tiuien  jjrior  to  1873  without  any  remains  of  Alca  iiiUKiiiiia  being 
found." 


'. 


DANISH  KyOKKENMODDINGS. 


41 


to  prove  conclusively  that  the  Groat  Auk  was  more  than  a  casual  visitant  of  its 
shores. 

About  150  of  these  Kjijkkenraoddings  are  now  known  in  Denmark."  Up  to 
the  year  1809  only  about  40  of  tliese  had  been  examined'*  by  the  committee  of 
investigation  appointed  bj'  the  lloyal  Society  of  Sciences  of  Copenhagen.  This 
committee  consisted  of  Professor  Steenstrup,  Dr.  Worsiie,  and  tho  late  M.  Forch- 
hammer,  representing  the  respective  branches  of  science,  biology,  archaeology, 
and  geology.  Since  18G9  a  few  more  of  those  kitchen-middens  have  b?e.^  exa- 
mined, but  it  is  evident  tliere  is  much  work  yet  to  be  done. 

No  one  can  doubt  that  we  only  stand  on  the  threshold  of  this  branch  of 
inquiry  as  to  Great  Auk  archicology,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  tho  encourage- 
ments of  the  past  may  induce  the  younger  archteologists  of  Denmark  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  their  worthy  predecessors  with  an  enthusiasm  as  great  as  that 
which  has  led  to  tho  attainment  of  such  splendid  results  in  the  past. 


I* 


Iceland. 

On  the  21st  of  May  1858,  Mr.  (now  Professor)  A.  Newton  and  Mr.  J.  Wolley 
arrived  at  Kyrkjuvogr,  in  Iceland.  The  following  day  the  latter  gentleman 
picked  up  fVnin  a  lieap  of  blown  sand  two  or  three  humeri  of  the  Alca  impcnnis. 
This  led  to  further  searcli  being  made  by  both  in  all  likely  localities  during  their 
stay,  but  with  variable  and  sometimes  disappointing  results,  as,  when  their  re- 
searches caused  them  to  excavate  some  ancient  kitchen-middens,  where  naturally 
they  expected  to  discover  bones  of  tho  Garefowl,  they  were  invai'iably  dis- 
appointed ;  and  it  was  only  by  careful  observation  when  travelling  about  that 
they  found  some  of  tho  bones  they  had  been  looking  for.  In  tho  wall  of  the 
churchyard  at  K\-rkjnvogr  several  bones  of  tho  Garefowl  wore  got  sticking  in  the 
turf  which  is  used  to  bind  the  walls  together,  and  finding  this  turf  had  been  cut 
from  a  small  hillock  close  by,  it  was  searched,  with  the  result  that  among  a  large 
number  of  bones  of  other  Alcidcr  were  discovered  several  of  the  Alca  impcnnis,  L. 
TIio  greatest  find  was,  however,  at  Baejasker,  where  Mr.  J.  Wolley  one  day 
as  he  was  riding  along  called  out  that  he  saw  two  bones  of  the  Garefowl  lying 
upon  the  ground.  On  dismounting  ho  found  them  to  be  tho  distal  ends  of  tlie 
humeri,  and   apparently  a  \yMv ;    going  to  the  spot,  Professor  Newton  found  a 


"  "  Kiirly  Iron  Aj;o,"  p.  i.     Kiiijolliiu'ilt. 

'9  Cumple  Hindu  "  luteruutiuuiil  Cuug.  d'AutUio.  c>t  d'Arcb,,"  4th  sesaion,  p,  135. 


» 


42 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


radius  of  the  same  bird.  This  locality  waa  ciirefuUy  examined  on  two  other 
occasions,  and  some  other  remains  recovered,  and  it  is  believed  that  these  must 
have  belonged  tc  it  least  eight  individual  birds.^'  From  what  Professor  Newton 
tells  us,  he  and  Mr.  WoUey  apparently  got  bones  representing  at  least  two  Gare- 
fowls  in  the  heap  of  blown  sand  at  Kyrkjuvogr,  also  in  the  wall  of  the  churchyard 
of  the  same  place,  and  in  a  small  hillock  in  the  vicinity,  a  number  of  bones  were 
found  presumably  representing  several  Garefowls,  and  then  we  are  told  that  at 
Baejasker  bones  representing  at  least  eight  individuals  of  the  same  bird  were 
obtained.  What  became  of  all  these  bones  we  are  not  told ;  but,  in  a  valuable 
paper  written  in  1870,  the  learned  Professor  only  enumerates  bones  representing 
eight  individuals,  and  states  they  are  in  his  own  collection,  and  mentions  they 
were  got  by  Mr.  Wolley  and  himself  in  Iceland,  and  quotes  the  Ihis  for  1861, 
which  we  ho'-e  just  referred  to  for  information  regarding  tliem.^° 


■'  Professor  A.  Newton's  Paper  on  Mr.  J.  WoUey's  "  Researches, "  pp.  394-fi,  Ibis,  vol.  iii.,  1861. 
-»  Professor  A.  Newton  on  E.xisting  Kemains  of  the  Garefowl,  Ibis,  April  1870,  p.  2<i0. 


y 


(     43     ) 


^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BRITISH  REMAINS  OF  THE  GAREFOWL. 

WE  next  come  to  consider  the  remains  found  in  Britain;  and  we  have  now 
three  localities-two  in  Scotland  and  one  in  England-where  unmistakable 
traces  of  the  Garefowl  have  been  met  with.  These  are  Keiss  in  Caithness  •• 
Oronsay,  one  of  the  Southern  Hebrides;^  and  Whitburn  Lizards,  in  the  county 
of  Durham.  As  far  as  is  yet  known,  these  are  the  only  places  in  Britain  where 
remains  of  the  Garefowl  have  been  found. 

Keiss. 
During  the  year  1864,  in  the  course  of  some  excavations  carried  on  at  Keiss 
at  the  expense  and  under  the  superintendence  of  Samuel  Laing,  Esq.,  M.P    a 
quantity  of  remains  were  discovered  in  an  ancient  kitchen-midden,  and  were 
handed  to  Mr.  Carter  Blake,  then  the  assistant  secretary  of  the  Anthropological 
Society,  London,  who  called  in  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Wm.  Davies  of  the  Natural 
History  Department  of  the  British  Museum.     This  gentleman  found  that  among 
the  bones  were  those  of  birds  which  he  could  not  n™e  with  satisfactory  accuracy 
without  comparing  with  recent  skeletons,  and  with  Mr.   Blake's  permission  he 
took  them  to  the  British  Museum,  and  identified  their  respective  species ;  *  but 
there  were  some  bones  that  lie  could  not  identify  as  belonging  to  any  northern 
bird  of  similar  size.     The  idea  then  occurred  to  him  that  thoy  were  remains  of 
the  Great  Auk  {Aka  impcnnis,  L.);  and  a  comparison  with  the  bones  of  the 
razorbill  {Alca  tarda,  L.)  confirmed  this  impression;  but  unfortunately  at  that 
time  there  were  none  of  the  larger  bird  in  the  museum.     He  mentioned  his  belief 


'  "rrehiatorio  Uemninsof  Oaithuofls."    By  S.imuel  Liiini!  Esc     MP    mwl  P  «  A    a.„t     w.i  »t  . 

4  ..  ?"'"'■•''   ";"  """y  Iransactions  of  Northun.berlund  an.l  Durham,"  vol.  vii.  put  2,  1880  m.  301-3(14 
*     Journal  of  the  Autbropologioul  Society,"  vol.  iii.  p.  34.  ' ' 


44 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


1 


to  Mr.  Gerrard  of  the  Zoological  Department,  and  that  gentleman  informed  him 
that  he  had  recently  mounted  some  bones  of  the  Garefowl,  and  that  he  thought 
they  were  in  Professor  Owen's  room.  Mr.  Davies  then  went  to  the  Professor  and 
asked  him  if  ho  would  kindly  let  him  see  them ;  but  they  had  been  returned  to 
their  owner,  Mr.,  now  Professor  A.  Newton,  and  were  the  first  remains  he  received 
from  Funk  Island,  through  the  Bishop  of  Newfoundland."  Mr.  Davies  then  com- 
municated to  Professor  Owen  his  belief  as  to  the  remains  from  Keiss,  and  showed 
the  bones  to  him,  mentioning  to  whom  they  belonged,  and  how  they  came 
into  his  liands,  with  the  result  that  the  Professor  immediately  requested  to  be 
allowed  to  take  charge  of  the  specimens,  and  also  the  other  bird  bones  that  Mr. 
Davies  had  named,  and  then  entered  into  a  correspondence  with  Mr.  Laing.  Tlie 
result  was  that  the  bones  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Alca  impeium  were  positively 
and  autlioritativoly  identified,  which  could  bo  done  by  the  Professor,  fresh  from  a 
recent  study  of  the  osteology  of  the  bird.  They  are  fully  described  by  Mr.  Laing 
in  u!e  book  he  afterwards  published  in  186G,  entitled,  "  Prehistoric  Remains  in 

Caithness,"  and  are  also  mentioned  in 
papers  read  by  the  late  Dr.  John  Alex- 
ander Smith  before  the  Antiquarian 
Society  of  Scotland  at  their  meetings 
of  January  18G7,  January  1879,  and 
Juno  1880. 

Tho  bones  consist  of  a  right  and 
left  humerus,  each  measuring  four  inches 
in  length,  and  perfect.  There  is  also  a 
right  and  loft  tibia ;  but  only  one  of  these 
is  whole,  and  measures  five  inches  in 
length,  the  other  being  without  the  lower 
articulation.  In  addition  to  these  there 
is  another  left  tibia,  but  belonging  appar- 
ently to  a  smaller  bird.  This  bono  wants 
its  lower  extremity,  and  Professor  Owen 
thinks  it  may  have  belonged  to  a  female  ;  while  the  other  bones  are  those  of  a  male, 
and  a  jiart  of  the  anterior  or  free  extremity  of  the  premaxillary  of  a  Carcfowl." 

"  "  Anuiils  uf  Natural  History,"  third  series,  p-irt  U.  "  I'roceeiliiigs  of  the  Zoologicnl  Society,"  November 
10,  ISl!:!. 

"  These  remains  are  now  [ireserved  in  the  Scottish  National  Museum  of  Antiiiuities,  Edinburgh. 


I 


1.  Two  niiniori;  and,  'J,  two  TiWa^  of  tho  (licit  Aiik 
(Aln  impnaiU),  loiiiiil  in  a  kitclion  niliUlen  at  Kois«, 
CaitlinosH-Hliirii(half  tlio  natitml  »i/,e). 


REMAINS  FOUND  AT  KEISS. 


^^  45 

About  the  same  time  and  nlace  Mr    f-ncr^  n-N   t       i     .    , 

Mr.  Busk  anrl  nnf  Fi.    A    1  ■■  ^  ^  '^'^  ^^'"^  '^  donation  from 

rectified/  "'  '"'  '*  "  '"*  "»"'^^  ^^'^^  ^^^'^  --^^^e  should  be 

manditle""''    ''^'^"^'^  ^^'^-^-^'^    error    occurred    in    describing   the    upper 
mandible  or  premaxillary  in  Mr.  Laing'.s  book,  and  was  ^^ 

repeated  in  the  "Transactions  of  the  Scottish  Antiquarian 
bocioty  18G7,  where  it  is  mentioned  among  the  remains 
obtamed  from  Keiss.and  figured  as  being  a  curved  spear- 
head. It  was  only  when  the  late  Dr.  J.  Alexander  Smith 
came  to  prepare  his  second  paper,  read  before  the  same        -  -- 

the  fauna  of  the  Keiss  deposit  as  given  by  Mr.  Laing :— 


Upper  JIandiblo  of  Groat  Auk 
louml  atKdsaOialftlio  natu- 
ral sizu). 


MOLLUSCA, 

Limpet  (PaMa  viihjan'x). 
Periwinkle  {Litturina  nnntfuUa). 
Wliolk  (liueciuum,  umJafum). 
Cockle  (Cnriliiiiii). 
Scallop  [Pictm  mnjm). 
Lesser  scalloji  (Perhn  myuK). 

AxNur.osA. 

Lobster  (Strpula). 

Pisii. 

Cod  (Morrhuti  rii/'/afa). 

Mammalia. 

Ox  (/ios  hmgij'roiitt). 
Horse  {Equtts  cabul ///.■:  (()./""«///4). 
Ked-deei'  [Cci-i-us  r/iji/i, !.■<). 
lioat  (Cdjmi  /iiiri(.i). 


'^iAMSm.lA  (rojlfinwd.) 

Hog  (Sim  m-o/a). 

l>og  (Catii^  famiUaris  or  faniiUaris  /on- 
m'/is). 

Fox  (Canis  '■ii/pes). 

Rabbit  (Lepiix  Cu,iiculiii<),  perliaps  recent. 
Cetacea. 

(iniinpus(Z>e/;,/„',„^,  „,.„,)  or  small  whale. 
J)olphin  (lMi,hinusiMphis)  or  some  othei' 
f^niall  cctacoaii. 

Birds. 

Creat  Auk  (Ah-a  impennis). 
Lesser  Auk  or  razorbill  {Alca  funla). 
Cormorant  (P/ialacrororax  mrbo). 
Shag  {Phahicrocorax  gvaculiis). 
Solan  Coose  {Siila  hassana). 


'  "  Proceeaiugs  of  t!,o  ..V„ti,,uark.s  of  Scotlaml,"  ^^1.  i.,  new  seric,  is:!,,,,.  a 


»  nUl.  II.  79. 


?:  I 


II 


46 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Dr.  J.  Alex.  Smith  has  also  identified  a  portion  of  tho  antler  of  a  reindeer.® 
In  addition  to  these  remains,  Mr.  (now  Dr.)  J.  Anderson  recovered  bones 
representing  the  following,  which  were  named  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Busk : 


\h 


The  large  Guillemot. 


A  small  Bos  Taunis. 
A  very  large  fo.x. 


Birds. 

I      The  Great  Auk  {Alca  imjpemm). 

Mammalia. 

Small  mature  shet^p. 
A  very  young  lamb. 


All  these  remains  are  thought  to  be  comparatively  recent,  and  to  belong  to 
the  late  period  of  the  occupation  of  the  Broch  near  which  they  were  found ;  but 
as  there  is  a  bone  of  the  reindeer,  which  probably  became  e.vtinct  in  Scotland 
about  seven  centuries  ago,  as  it  is  last  mentioned  in  the  "  Orkneyinga  Saga " 
in  the  year  1150  A.D.,  the  deposits  most  likely  had  been  formed  at  a  period 
previous  to  that  time. 


'  "  Procaediugs  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  "  vol.  i.  now  series,  1879,  p.  76,  77. 


I 


(     47     ) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BRITISH  REMAINS  OF  THE  GAREFOWL-cmtimud. 
Oronsav. 
r|lHE  most  recent  discovery  of  bones  of  the  Garefowl  must  now  come  under  con- 
u"p  to  if  '  ''"'  "^  ^''"  ^^'^'^^^'^^  ^°  ^^^^  -  ~*  «f  tJ^e  events  that Td 

During  the  summer  of  1879  the  writer  formed  one  of  a  small  party  who 
visaed  the  Island  of  Colonsay,  to  which  is  attached  at  low  water  the'Slnd  of 
Orc«.say,  the  intervening  strand  being  dry  ibr  about  three  hours  each  tide  The 
islands  were  so  interestmg  that  we  felt  we  had  entered  upon  a  new  field  for  study' 

nnt?  V/v,  ^'^^  ^'    "'^'^  ^"  '^''  ^^""-^^  °f  °"'-  ™°^bles  we  endeavoured  to 

aXu"'  "^""  ^"^^^"^"^'  ''-'--  ''  ''^  — ^^"^«.  whether  natural  o^ 
At  the  beginning  of  May  1880  we  returned  to  the  islands  a  second  time 
and  were  struck  with  the  remarkable  appearance  of  a  cone-shaped  mound  onThe 
eastern  side  of  Oronsay.    We  shortly  afterwards  discovered  that  Pennant  when  he 

Western  Isles    described  ,t  as  a  tumulus.     We  at  once  resolved  that  if  an  oppor- 

endeavour  to  find  out  by  excavatmg  what  the  mound,  known  to  the  islanders  by 
the  name  ot    Ca.steal-nan-Gillean.»  concealed.     We  did  our  best   1^7 
among  the  inhabitants  to  find  out  all  that  was  relatid  a  out   t  e  L  LXT 

Duru  g  the  (ollowing  winter  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  William 
Galloway,  known  for  his  antiquarian  researches  and  irk  in  connection  'J^^Z 


^'  '..  the  Gaelic,  literally  L  c.tle  ^i:o:^J^;;ailf^t^::^:"'""-     ""'•  "'^  '^  ^'"^ 


m 


48 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


itfiVi 


I      > 


■I 


ancient  ruins  and  sculptured  stones  of  Scotland,  and  discovered  that  ho  had  some 
years  previously  visited  Oronsay  when  taking  casts  and  drawings  of  many  of  the 
carved  stones  and  crosses  at  the  ruined  priory.  It  was  soon  arranged  that  we 
should  revisit  the  island,  and  at  the  beginning  of  June  1881  Mr.  Galloway  started, 
and  was  followed  about  the  middle  of  that  month  bj'  the  writer.  On  going  on 
board  the  steamer  Dunnra  Castle  at  Greenock,  we  met  Mr.  Malcolm  M'Neill,  brother 
of  Major-General  Sir  Jolm  Carstairs  M'Neill,  V.C.,  the  proprietor  of  the  islands, 
and  had  a  conversation  with  him  regarding  Caisteal-nan-Gillean,  and  found  that, 
acting  for  his  brother  in  his  absence,  ho  was  willing  to  give  permission  to  open 
the  mound.  We  visited  it  soon  after  iirriving  on  Colonsay,  accompanied  by  Mr, 
Alexander  Galletly,  curator  of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh,  and 
were  joined  at  the  mound  by  Mr.  Galloway,  who  was  living  at  Oronsay. 

Satisfied  from  our  inspection  that  the  mound  was  worth  examining  more 
carefully,  we  made  some  preliminary  preparations  and  reported  to  Mr.  INIalcolm 
M'Neill,  wlio  then  gave  us  his  final  sanction  to  begin  excavating.  We  hired  a 
workman,  and  on  Wednesday  the  22d  June  walked  from  Scalasaig  on  Colonsay 
to  the  mound  on  Oronsay,  a  distance  of  fully  five  miles.  When  wo  arrived  at  our 
destination  with  our  shovels,  we  found  Mr.  Galloway  waiting,  as  he  was  interested 
in  our  proposed  work. 

Wo  began  by  making  a  survey  of  the  whole  mound,  which  led  us  to  decide 
to  commence  operations  on  the  eastern  side,  at  a  point  whore  the  wind  had 
blown  away  part  of  the  sand  that  appeared  to  form  the  greater  part  of  the  hillock, 
and  cut  an  opening  about  four  feet  wide  right  through  to  under  the  apex.  We 
commenced  digging,  and  at  first  little  was  found  to  reward  our  efforts,  but  as  vie 
gradually  worked  inwanls  we  came  upon  a  thin  layer  of  shells  on  the  upper  sur- 
face below  the  turf  that  covered  the  mound  ;  and  as  this  gradually  got  thicker 
and  wo  found  intermixed  with  the  shells  a  few  bones,  it  raised  our  hopes,  and  it  was 
then  agreed  that  Mr.  Galloway  should  join  in  the  operations.  It  was  determined 
that  while  the  workman  and  myself  carried  on  the  excavation,  Mr.  Galloway  was 
to  measure  and  lay  off  a  section  of  the  mound  with  the  ground  to  the  south-east, 
where  there  is  a  sandpit,  from  which  we  supposed  the  sand  which  formed  all  but 
the  outer  crust  of  this  remarkable  hillock  had  been  taken. 

Our   cutting  was   commenced   at  the  base  of  the  mound,  and  as  wo  dug  ' 
towards  the  centre  of  it  we  slowly  formed  a  deep  trench.     We  found  the  work 
rather  dangerous,  as   large  quantities  of   sand  were  constantly  falling,  and  the 
walls  of  the  trench  rose  considerably  above  the  level  of  our  heads  on  either  side. 


y 


EXCAVATIONS  AT  ORONSAY. 


49 


At  last  we  found  it  impossible  to  work  straight  in  upon  the  same  level  on  which 
wo  started,  imd  had  gradually  to  work  up  an  inclined  plane,  so  as  to  keep  the 
bottom  of  our  trench  about  ten  feet  from  the  surface  of  the  mound  as  wo  steadily 
excavated  towards  its  middle.  We  found  the  work  rather  heavy,  and  to  add  to 
our  difficulties  the  man  we  had  engaged,  though  a  stout  Highlander,  declined  to 
come  back  after  one  day's  trial.  However,  the  following  morning  wo  succeeded 
in  engaging  another  workman,  with  whom  we  had  done  some  of  the  excavating 
at  the  Crystal  Spring  Cavern,  and  we  found  things  go  on  much  more  satisfactorily 
as  his  previous  experience  in  looking  for  remains  was  of  some  value.'' 

While  we  were  engaged  digging,  Mr.  Galloway  was  busy  measuring  and 
marking  olf  the  ground.  He  ascertained  that  the  hillock  was  150  feet  in 
diameter,  and  nearly  circular  in  form ;  the  height  being  about  30  feet  on  the 
eastern  side,  which  gives  the  greatest  elevation,  and  about  21.^  feet  on  the  western 
side,  as  the  ground  rises  considerably  in  that  direction,  the  mound  having  been 
formed  on  links  that  slope  towards  the  sea. 


View  of  Cuistciil-iiiinGillean. 

At  the  end  of  three  days  we  had  made  a  cutting  or  trench  about  70  feet  in 
length,    and   were   close  to  the  apex,    with   the   result  that  we    had   discovered 


*  '•  riooeeiliiuss  (if  the  Society  of  Aiitiiiui\riea  of  Scotliuiii,"  vol.  ii.  new  seiiea,  p.  318. 


5° 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


abundance  of  shells,  n  few  bones,  and  some  rough  stone-implements ;  and  with 
these  wo  started  for  Edinburgh.  After  carefully  examining  all  the  material  we 
had  collected,  we  picked  out  those  Iwnos  that  were  least  fragmentary,  and  having 
divided  them  into  two  lots,  we  placed  the  first  of  these  in  the  hands  of  our  friend 
Mr.  Alexander  Galletly,  Curator  of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  who  was  kind 
enough  to  enlist  the  aid  of  Dr.  R.  H.  Traquair,  F.ll.S.,  Curator  of  the  Natural 
History  Department  of  the  same  Museum,  in  their  identification.  In  the  mean- 
time wo  obtained  the  pi'omise  of  help  from  ilr.  John  Gibson,  assistant  to  Dr. 
'JVaquair,  with  the  s  d  lot,  which,  as  it  afterwards  turned  out,  contained  the 
remains  about  which  we  now  write. 

On  receiving  the  remains  Mr.  Gibson  at  once  began  their  identification,  and 
in  the  course  of  the  work  showed  the  bones  to  Dr.  Traquair,  who  was  also 
interested.  It  would  appear  that  both  these  gentlemen  had  been  impressed  with 
the  remarkable  form  of  one  of  the  bird  humeri,  but  made  no  observation  to  each 
other.  This  was  on  a  Saturday.  On  the  Monday  morning  following  they  met 
in  the  ^luseum,  and  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  case  in  which  were  pre- 
served some  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  that  were  obtained  at  Funk  Island  by 
Professor  J.  Milne.  In  conversation  they  discovered  that  they  had  both  got  the 
impression  that  this  humerus  belonged  to  a  Great  Auk,  and  that  without  any 
previous  comparison  of  opinions  they  were  both  proceeding  to  have  a  look  at  the 
remains  in  the  Museum,  so  that  they  might,  if  possible,  verify  their  surmise. 
Fortunately  they  found  that  they  were  correct  in  the  opinion  they  had  simulta- 
neously formed,  and  tlie  identification  of  the  one  bone  led  to  the  discovery  that 
several  of  the  other  bones  also  belonged  to  the  Great  Auk. 

This  discovery  gave  so  much  encouragement  that  it  led  us  to  make  arrange- 
ments to  return  to  Oronsay  in  August  of  the  same  year,  and  continue  the  exca- 
vations. Mr.  Galloway  started  about  the  middle  of  the  month,  and  remained 
working  for  six  or  seven  weeks,  aided  by  two  boys,  whom  he  succeeded  in  engag- 
ing. We  were  fortunate  in  being  able  to  spend  about  a  week  in  his  company, 
and  though  every  efibrt  was  made  to  secure  the  services  of  one  or  more  men,  we 
were  unsuccessful,  as  the  harvest  fully  occupied  those  who  remained  at  home,  and 
many  of  the  islanders  were  at  the  fishing. 

During  this  visit  we  were  employed  removing  the  upper  part  of  the  mound, 
where  the  greatest  deposits  existed  ;  as  our  experience  showed  us  that  if  it  had 
been  raised  over  anything,  or  was  the  superstructure  covering  a  place  of  inter- 
ment, wo  could  only  ascertain  this  by  digging  down  to  the  living  rock,  which  is 


>■  i 


' 


EXCAVATIOXS  AT  ORONSAY. 


5' 


about  three  feet  below  the  original  level  of  the  sand  at  tl.o  outer  edge  of  the 
mound,  and  possibly  is  the  sun.e  under  the  apex.  As  the  sund  falling  would  make 
this  work  very  dangerous,  if  not  impossible,  wo  resolved  first  to  remove  about 
twelve  feet  off  the  upper  part  of  the  hillock,  and  then  dig  downwards,  as  circum- 
stances  permitted. 

By  the  end  of  September  fully  one-third  of  the  apex  liad  been  du^r  off,  and 
every  spadeful  most  carefully  examined,  so  that  not  even  minute  objects^could  bo 
passed.  The  same  care  was  taken  during  the  whole  time  the  excavations  were  i.i 
progrens,  and  though  the  work  went  on  much  more  rapidly  during  our  first  visit, 
it  was  entirely  owing  to  our  having  mostly  pure  sand  to  deal  with,  which  contained 
not  a  vestige  of  remains,  and  seemed  as  if  just  deposited  from  the  sandpit. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  deposits  as  revealed  by  the  sections 
examined  during  the  digging,  wo  may  state  that  the  outside  of  the  cone  is  covered 
with  turf  and  blown  sand  to  a  depth  varying  from  one  to  five  feet,  the  greatest 
depth  being  at  the  north  side  of  tlie  apex,»  and  gradually  thinning  off"  all  round 
to  the  outer  edge ;  below  that  is  a  series  of  strata,  composed  principally  of  shells, 
which  taper  off  from  the  apex  similarly  to  the  upper  deposits,  and  underneath  is 
pure  sand. 

Where  we  began  our  excavations  wo  found  almost  solid  sand ;  then  after  a 
few  feet  we  came  upon  a  thin  layer  of  shells  near  the  surface,  which  was  at  first 
only  about  an  inch  thick.  As  we  worked  inwards  this  line  was  found  gradually 
getting  thicker,  until  near  the  summit  it  was  composed  of  numerous  layers,  which 
were  pretty  clearly  defined,  though  here  and  there  they  ran  into  each  other,  and 
altogether  were  about  8  feet  from  top  to  bottom. 

The  greater  part  of  the  shells  were  those  of  the  Limpet  'Patella  vulgata,  L.), 
others  were,  however,  intermixed,  of  which  we  give  a  list  amongst  the  remains 
(see  p.  55).  Besides  these  there  were  a  few  bones,  bone  implements,  and  oblon.' 
water- worn  stones  of  a  slaty  character,  some  of  which  we  suppose  have  been  used 
as  limpet  hammers,  while  others  have  one  end  rubbed  so  as  to  form  an  edge,  and 
are  similar  in  appearance  to  implements  of  a  like  kind  we  have  seen  from  the 
Swiss  lake-dwellings,  and  also  from  a  number  of  places  in  our  own  country.  There 
are  also  a  few  oval  and  nearly  round  stones  that  have  marks  that  lead  one  to  sup- 
pose they  have  been  used  for  rubbing;  and  others  seem  to  have  been  implements 
used  for  striking  the  head  of  a  chisel  or  other  similar  tool,  as  there  are  well-defined 


J  The  strong  winds  fru.u  the  south  and  south-west  that  blow  over  the  Uland  have  caused  the  accumulu- 
tion  on  the  north  side  of  tlie  mound. 


5-' 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


rrraf 


indentures  tliat  iiulicatn  the  point  of  contact.  Wo  also  got  some  stono-hcntors  that 
iiave  been  cracked  by  tlie  action  of  firo,  and  in  addition  a  few  pieces  of  Hint  of  small 
size.  Of  bone  implemonta  we  got  several,  but  all  in  a  fragmentary  state.  They  con- 
sisted of  a  numl)er  of  barbed  harpoon  or  spear -heads,  one  bone  awl  in  a  perfect  state, 
and  the  point  of  another  ;  also  a  number  of  bones  rubbed  at  one  end,  some  on  both 
sides,  so  as  to  form  an  edge,  and  others  only  on  one  side  ;  but  most  likely  they  were 
used  for  different  purposes,  as  those  rubbed  flat  only  on  one  side  are  larger,  and  made 
of  selected  pieces  of  the  Iwnes  of  rod-deer,  while  some  of  those  with  the  rubbing  on 
both  aides,  so  as  to  form  an  edge,  are  made  of  the  same  material,  but  portioTis  of 
smaller  bones  have  been  used.  In  digging  we  discovered  some  large  flat  stones 
which  had  evidently  been  used  as  hearths,  for  they  had  charcoal  and  burnt  material 
around  them,  but  not  in  aufHcient  quantity  to  give  the  impression  tliat  they  had 
been  used  for  any  great  length  of  time,  and  it  was  generally  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  those  ancient  fire-places  that  we  got  the  implements.  The  char- 
coal is  very  soft,  and  has  the  appearance  of  having  resulted  from  the  burning  of  a 
sofl  wood.  In  the  bed  of  Loch  Fada  on  Colonsay  are  stumps  of  immense  trees  that 
may  at  one  time  have  furnished  the  inhabitants  with  fuel. 

As  we  were  anxious  to  find  out  whether  the  charcoal  and  the  wood  from  these 
tree-stumps  agreed  in  structure,  we  placed  specimens  of  each  in  the  hands  of  Dr. 
J.  i[.  Macfarlane,  assistant  to  the  I'rofessor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh. He  informs  us  that  though  the  charcoal  is  in  such  a  state  that  it  is  beyond 
identification,  ho  has  been  able  with  some  certainty  to  identify  the  wood  as  having 
belonged  to  the  goat-willow  (Salix  caprca,  L.) ;  he  also  thinks  that  the  char- 
coal is  the  result  of  this  wood  being  burnt,  as  they  have  some  characteristics  in 
which  they  correspond.  It  is  probable  Dr.  Macfarlane  is  correct,  as  the  willow  was 
nmch  used  in  the  Hebrides  for  making  bridles,  ropes,  and  tackle  of  every  variety. 

The  remains  in  the  lowest  deposits  near  the  summit  differed  in  some  respects 
from  those  found  nearer  the  surface.  All  are  of  a  very  rough  description,  indicating 
that  this  mound  was  used  by  a  primitive  and  probably  ancient  people.  In  fact,  the 
(juestion  naturally  arose.  What  could  there  be  underneath  that  would  account  for 
the  sand-hill  ? 

Later  excavations,  carried  on  during  the  month  of  ^farch  1882,  by  Mr.  Gal- 
loway, have  shown  that  the  sand  below  the  strata  in  which  wo  had  found  the 
remains  is  not  one  vast  homogeneous  mass  that  has  been  accumulated  at  one  time, 
but  is  all  blown  or  drift-sand,  laid  in  regular  layers,  the  upper  pai't  of  each  defined 
by  a  thin  line  of  dark  mould,  with  a  few  sea  and  land  shells  intermixed,  but  no 


(1 

? 

19 

i 

'1 

m 

I 


ORONSAY  REMAINS. 

in.plen,o„ts  or  other  remains  have  yet  been  n.et  with  i.7^o  lower  ^^o^^^^T^ 
^  clua^on    hat  u  I  see.ns  to  point  to  is.  that  the  lower  part  of  the  Caisteal-Nan 
O.lleau  han  bee.i  fonned  by  natural  and  not  hunmn  agency 

The  fbllowing  i,  a  list  of  the  renmin«  in  o„r  possession  that  have  been 
.ready  .dent,  ed       We  are  indebted  to  Dr.  Tra,uair  for  identifying  the  rema  n 
of  the  hsl,  and  also  those  of  the  seal  and  pig;  while  to  Mr.  John  Gibson  wlow 
the  determnung  of  the  others,    nd  the  description  of  the  bones  of  the  Garefowl :_ 

Iicmni7i3. 

Bones  of  the  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl  (Alca  impnmis,  L.)  obtained  from 
Ca.steal-nan.Gillean,  Oronsay,  June  and  September  1881. 

I.  Jii!,ht  hanurus  measuring  -t  inches  in  length  and  1  inch  in  breadth  at 

m  long  diameter  and  3  lines  in  short  diameter. 

According  to  Professor  Owen  ("  Trans,  of  Zool.  Society,"  vol  v  p  '6'V) 
there  ,s  a  tluck  ridge  or  raised  rough  surface  near  the  radial  end  of  the  ..ic.d  ^ 
head  of  he  humerus,  extending  about  8  lines  down  the  bone,  which  gives  inserti 

;S.:r:?;:tg."™  ^^^  '''''''-''  ^  ^^^  — ^  Pectorarmusde-th; 
In  the  present  specimen  the  bone  of  this  ridge  exhibits  a  diseased  condition 
hresZad.      ''"^™     ^'"'  ^'""^'^'  '"°  '^  ''-''  ^™"^'^  '  ^"-  "^  ^^-^^^^  and  ; 


II.  rmrimal  half  „f  right  humerus.      Total  length  of  snecin.en    ol  ;„  .,,„ 
Uroken  about  the  middle  of  the  shaft,  which  exhibit  ^:Z;::i^'!^ 
cav.ty  n.easures  21  hues  in  long  diameter  by  1  line  in  short  diameter    he  sha 
measuring  similarly  6  lines  by  2^  li„es.  a>amete:,  the  sbatt 

III.  mst.d  half  of  Ift  humerus.  Specimen,  measuring  2  inches  2  lines 
s  unvs  n,edullary  cavity.  I„  this  specimen  the  condyle  and^the  three  anc  ne ai 
ridges  are  very  perfect.  ""Luueuj 

IV.  Distal  end  of  left  humerus,  3  inches  in  length. 

V.  Left  eoracoid  bone,   with  a  total  length  of  2  inches  -1  lines.     At  the 


.1 


! 


^'i 


54 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


bably  bad  a  breadth  of  at  least  1  inch.  The  thin  lamelliform  prLess  given  off 
above  the  sternal  articulation  is  also  gone,  otherwise  the  coracoid  is  entire  From 
the  sternal  end  it  gradually  contracts  to  5  lines,  then  widens  out,  giving  off  a 
strong  compressed  process,  which  is  perforated. 


VI.    Upper  end  of  right  coracoid. 
little  below  the  perforated  process. 


Specimen  li  inches  in  length,  ending  a 


VII,  Distal  end  of  right  tibia. 
very  minute  medullary  cavity. 

VIII.  Dorsal  vertebra;. 


Specimen  1  inch  in  length.     Shaft  showing 


-,  Other  Hemains. 

IMammaua. 

EMcviCervus  claphus,  L.);  many  of  the  fragments  have  been  rubbed,  and 

all  the  bones  liave  been  broken. 
^Afarten  (Martes  foina,  L.) 
Otter  {Lutra  vulgaris,  Erxcl.) 
Sheep  (Oois  aries  L);  we  I,uve  only  one  portion  of  a  bon.  that  we  are  certain 

belongs  to    his  animal,  and  it  was  found  near  the  upper  surface  of  the 

deposit   under   the   turf,     It   is   in   better  preservatioL  than  the  ot 

remaniP,  whicli  may  indicate  that  it  is  more  recent. 
Rat  (Mils  decumauus,  Pall,  or  rattus,  L.) 

^^"''?e  tecTn't'  '"'"'■""'"'''  ^'^'  ^"""'^  "'  "''^  ''"™'''-     ^^^  '"'^""''"^  "PP^*"-  '^ 
Common  seal  {Phoca  vitvlina,  L.) 
Wild  boar  or  pig  (Sus  scro/a.) 

Birds. 

Guillemot  {Urin  froih,  L.,  or  Gnjlle,  L.) 
Razorbill  (Alca  torda,  L.) 


Fisn. 


AVrasse  (Labrus  maculatm,  BI.) 
Grey  mullet  {MtujU  erpfentrionalis,  Guntli.) 
Picked  dog-fish  {Acnnthias  vuhjaris,  Risso). 
Skate  [Rdja  hatis,  L.) 


CnUSTACEANS. 

Crab  [Platgcarcinus  pagurm,  Edw.) 


**. 


^;- 


\ 


ORONSAY  REMAINS. 


55 


Shells. 
Limpet  {Patella  vulgata,  L.) 

Scnllop  (Pedm  open-ulurin,  L.) 

Oyster  (Ostrea  ednlis,  L.) 

Horse  whelk  (/liircinutu  umhitum,  L.) 
Periwinkle      (LiUorina  Nttorea,  L.) 
{Cyprina  islandica,  L.) 
(Lwvicardi'um  nm-vegicum, 
Spengl.) 


Cockle 


{Axinma  ghjetjmeris,  L.) 
(Cardlum  edule,  L.) 
{Ta2)es  pullastm,  Mont.) 
{Tapes  virginem,  L) 
(Venus  casina,  L) 
(Ensis  siliqua,  Linn.) 
{Trivia  eurojxxa.) 


Besides  the  above  remains  which  came  into  our  hands,  Mr.  Galloway  exhi- 
bited the  following  at  the  International  Fisheries  Exhibition,  held  in  London 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1883  : 

JIamjialia. 

^^"'llmt'a,I,ai°  ^^"^  '"'°'^"^'  *'™  *"'"''  ''^"'^'  ^''''"'  ^''°'^"^'^  ^''""S^^^  *" 

Otter  (Z«/m  i,„/^am,  Erxl.)  four  fractured  jaws  and  seventeen  other  bones 

brey  seal  {Phoca  yryplms),  four  bones. 

Conuuon  seal  {Phoea  vituliua,  L.),  Line  bones;  also  three  teeth,  one  of  which 

may  belong  to  the  grey  seal. 
Eed-deer  {Cewns  eJaphvs,  L.),  five  or  six  fragments  of  bones  ;  each  bone  has 

been  hacked  all  round  and  broken  across. 

Cetaceans. 

There  are  three  cetacean  bones  that  have  probably  belonged  to  the  rorqual  or 
Jjnwhale.  They  are  :  One  large  fragment  of  a  rib,  one  part  of  v/rtebral 
epiphysis,  and  one  fragment  of  a  rib  made  into  a  pointed  spear  or  lance- 


BlKDS. 

Great  Auk  (Alca  imi^mis,  L).  The  proximal  halves  of  three  right  humeri. 
The  proxnnal  half  of  one  left  humerus.  One  perfect  coracoid  bo^.e,  and  one 
fragment  o  another  coracoid  bone.  Two  fragments  of  tibias,  a  proximal 
an.l  a  d..s  al  end  ;  one  imperfect  bone,  said  also  to  bo  from  this  bird 

\\  Ud  swan  ;  there  were  several  bones  said  to  have  belonged  to  this  bird. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  was  exhibited  a  collection  of  fish  ver- 
tebm>,  some  crabs'  claws,  and  a  number  of  shells,  representing  some  of  the 
varieties  already  given  in  our  li.st. 

A  number  of  implements  were  also  shown:  they  were-eleven  barbed  bone 


ii 


i» 


S6 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


I 


m  1 


1 1 


•''I  ! 


i 


1.    .: 


I 


spear-liends ;  a  large  number  of  rubbed  stones  and  bones ;  also  a  collection  of 
limpet-hammers,  a  few  flint  chips,  some  large  flat  stones,  supposed  to  be  lap- 
stones,  as  they  are  said  to  bear  indentations,  made,  it  is  thought,  by  bones  being 
split  on  them.  It  appears  to  us  that  the  three  largest  are  the  most  interesting. 
Two  of  these  stones  are  oblong  and  one  circular,  the  latter  being  artificially 
chipped  into  its  present  form. 

With  regard  to  the  whole  of  these  remains,  wo  may  observe  that  the  bones  of 
the  red-deer,  though  found  all  through  the  strata,  even  in  the  highest,  were  most 
plentiful  in  the  lower  deposits,  and  seemed  to  become  much  less  common  in  the 
upper  layers.  This  probably  indicates  that  the  animal  was  becoming  gradually  less 
abundant  during  the  period  that  Caistcal-nan-Gillean  was  inhabited.  We  may 
also  remark  that,  as  in  our  excavations  at  the  Crystal-Spring  Cavern,  Colonsay, 
we  only  found  the  bones  of  the  red-deer  in  the  lowest  deposits  of  the  cave-floor. 
It  appears,  therefore,  that  there  is  good  reason  to  suppose  that  the  time  at  which 
the  upper  deposits  at  the  mound  and  the  earliest  deposits  of  the  cave  were  formed, 
is  about  the  same.  Jloreover,  as  the  deer-remains  in  the  cave  are  not  found  very 
frequent,  it  is  quite  possible  it  was  only  occupied  after  the  mound  had  ceased  to 
be  a  place  of  human  residence.  If  our  conclusions  upon  this  point  bo  correct, 
the  mound  must  have  been  occupied  at  a  very  early  period  in  the  history  of  the 
isles,  as  we  find  in  the  upper  deposits  of  the  cave-floor,  and  above  the  strata  in 
which  we  have  found  the  deer  bones,  other  remains  which  point  to  these  deposits 
having  been  formed  during  the  Danish  and  Norwegian  occupation  of  Colonsay 
and  Oronsay. 

Another  evidence  of  the  antiquity  of  the  mound  is  in  the  absence  of  ox- 
remains,  whicli  are  met  with  under  stalagmite,  in  the  upper  deposits  of  the  cave. 
The  remains  described  as  those  of  the  pig  may  possibly  belong,  not  to  the  domestic 
hog,  but  to  the  wild  boar.  As  Sir  John  Lubbock  remarks,"  "  Professor  Stcenstrup 
does  not  believe  that  the  domestic  hog  is  represented  by  its  remains  in  the  Danish 
shell-mounds."  Besides,  one  of  the  rib  bones  in  our  possession  bears  evidence  of 
Imviiig  been  broken  and  afterwards  having  united,  and  such  an  injurj',  it  seems  to 
us,  would  most  likely  be  received  in  the  chase. 

One  remarkable  feature  of  the  deposits  at  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  is  the  immense 
number  of  limpet-shells,  very  many  with  small  holes  in  them,  caused,  we  believe, 
by  the  stroke  of  the  rough  stones  used  as  hammers  to  knock  them  off  the  rocks. 

«  "Niitunil  History  Keview."  18C1.  p. 497. 


!ii 


m 


LIMPET  HAMMERS. 


57 


Almost  all  the  stone-imploments  are  just  suitably  shaped  stones  taken  from  the 
beach  ;  but  nearly  all  those  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  hearths  bear  marks 
of  having  been  rubbed  at  the  one  end,  and,  with  two  exceptions,  are  all  small, 
varying  from  two  to  three  inches  in  length,  while  many  of  the  stones  we  call 
limpet-hammers  are  quite  a  foot  in  length,  and  with  the  exception  of  being  some- 
times fractured  at  the  ends,  bear  no  evidence  of  having  been  used.  Nearly  all 
these  were  found  lying  among  the  thinner  deposits  of  shells  away  from  the  centre 
of  the  mound,  as  if  they  had  been  thrown  there  to  be  out  of  the  way  from  the 
hearths. 

Our  reason  for  calling  them  limpet-hammers  is  as  follows : — We  had  been 
making  inquiries  among  the  islanders  for  those  implements,  but  without  success, 
as  we  understood  they  were  carefully  fashioned  or  selected  stones  that  were 
handed  down  by  the  fishermen  from  father  to  son,  and  we  found  that  most  of  the 
men  used  the  blade  of  an  old  reaping-hook  to  knock  the  limpets  off  the  rocks. 
However,  we  also  discovered  that  failing  an  instrument  of  that  kind,  they  then 
took  an  oblong-.«liaped  stone  from  the  beach.  The  second  day  of  our  excavations 
at  Caisteal-nan-Gilloau  we  were  puzzling  ourselves  as  to  what  could  be  the  use 
of  the  numerous  oblong  stones  we  met  with  among  the  shells,  and  mentioned  the 
matter  to  our  workman,  who  was  accustomed  to  go  to  the  fishing,  and  he,  just  as 
a  matter  of  course,  informed  us  they  were  limpet-hammers.  Ho  assured  us  that 
he  and  his  fisher-mates  often  took  such  stones  from  the  beach  when  proceeding  on 
a  trip,  and  would  retain  the  stone  for  collecting  bait  until  the  end  of  their  fishing, 
when  they  would  throw  it  away.  Subsequent  inquiries  have  only  helped  to  con- 
firm us  in  the  opinion  that  the  large  oblong  stones  found  at  Caistcal-nan-Gillean 
are  really  limpet-hammers.  We  understand  that  similar  stones  i  ave  been  found  in 
the  ancient  kitchen-middens  of  other  localities,  and  have  proved  a  puzzle  to 
antiquarians ;  but  we  think  what  we  have  stated  will  be  found  to  be  the  real 
solution  of  the  mystery. 


The  bones  of  the  Garefowls  were  found  intermixed  with  other  remains  in  this 
kitchen-midden  of  the  ancient  inhabitants,  and  this  leads  us  to  the  conviction  that 
the  birds  had  been  used  as  food.  It  is  exceedingly  probable  that  the  Garefowls 
bred  upon  the  rocky  islets  that  lie  near  the  shores  of  Oronsay,  if  not  upon  that 
island  itself,  and  would  prove  an  easy  prey  to  its  inhabitants.  Though  the  bones 
of  this  bird  as  yet  found  here  are  few  in  number,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow 
that  the  Garefowl  was  not  very  plentiful  at  this  station,  as  not  one  bone  in  a 

H 


Mi, 


(I 


"1i 


■*  ' 

I 


!     !  I 


1:^ 


M  f 


S8 


^^^  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


f!      ' 


(    59    ) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW  WAS  CAISTEAL-NAN-GILLEAN  FORMED,  AND  TO  WHAT  PERIOD 

DOES  IT  BELONG  ? 

rpHE  excavations  at  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  have  revealed  that  it  is  a  place  on 
J-      which  some  of  the  ancient  fishei-folk  of  Oronsay  dwelt,  and  they  probably 
chose  It  as  a  place  of  residence  because  possessing  two  great  advantages-namely 
a  dry  soil,  and  an  extensive  prospect  seaward.     The  former  of  these  was  a  most 
important  consideration,  as  the  inhabitants  evidently  did  not  live  in  stone  build- 
ings and  If  they  had  any  liouses  to  cover  them,  these  were  most  likely  made  of 
wattles.      The  extensive  view  of  the  sea  was  imperative  for  a  fisher  population, 
and  If  It  enabled  those  at  home  to  see  the  returning  boats  in  the  far  distance,  and 
provide  in  good  time  the  morning  or  evening  meal,  it  also  afforded  a  vantage- 
ground  from  which  the  approaching  enemy  might  be  seen  in  time  of  tribal  strifes 
and  petty  wars.     From  it  also  might  be  observed  the  signs  upon  the  surface  of 
the  sea  that  betokened  the  shoal  offish,  or  a  view  could  be  obtained  of  the  sea- 
birds  resting  on  the  rocky  shores  of  Eilean-Ghurdimeal  and  Eilean-nan-Eon,  or 
l-oating  on  the  troubled  waters  of  the  wild  Atlantic;  in  short,  from  Caisteal- 
na.n-Gillean  us  inhabitants  could  watch  for  friend  or  foe,  for  food  or  storm 

It  has  been  said  that  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  is  part  of  an  ancient  raised  sea- 
beacli  and  the  deposits  upon  it  are  supposed  to  have  been  formed  when  it  was 
near  the  sea  level.  As  appearing  to  confirm  this  supposition,  it  has  been  advanced 
that  in  adjoining  sand-hills  and  sand-wreaths,  where  recent  storms  have  not 
changed  the  old  contour  of  the  sand  dunes,  layers  of  sea-shells  have  been  found 
which  correspond  with  layers  found  at  similar  elevations  upon  them  all,  and  it 
has  thus  been  concluded  that  these  layers  could  only  have  been  so  deposited  either 
by  the  sea  or  by  human  agency.  From  such  conclusions  wo  beg  respectfullv  to 
diRor,  and  as  the  settlement  of  those  questions  have  an  important  bearing  on' the 
period  of  time  to  wliicli  we  must  refer  the  formation  of  the  deposits  at  Caisteal- 
nan-Gillean,  we  shall  brielly  state  our  views  and  the  reasons  which  have  led  us 
to  adopt  them. 


I 

in 

■ 


'•1 


ii' 


I 


60 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


During  the  excavations  we  had  occasion  to  dig  down  to  the  schistose  rock 
underneath  the  sand  at  the  base  of  the  mound,  and  we  found  it,  not  rubbed  to  a 
smooth  surface  as  it  would  have  been  if  exposed  to  the  wash  of  the  sea,  but  with 
a  rough  surface,  bearing  evidence  of  having  been  exposed  as  dry  land  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  weather  for  a  considerable  period  before  it  was  covered  with  blown 
sand.  As  we  discovered  no  pieces  of  stone  that  had  been  broken  from  the  rock 
strata  by  the  effects  of  weather,  and  not  the  slightest  trace  of  the  decomposition  of 
such  fragments  beneath  or  among  the  sand,  we  think  this  is  evidence  that  the 
rock  had  been  exposed  as  dry  land  to  the  action  of  the  weather  for  some  time 
before  it  was  covered  up.  If  this  is  so,  it  follows  that  Caisteal-nau-Gillean  and  the 
adjoining  sandhills  are  composed  entirely  of  blown  sand,  and  even  if  there  were 
nothing  else  to  judge  from,  their  contour  might  almost  lead  to  this  conclusion. 
Any  sea-shells  that  are  to  be  found  have  doubtless  been  blown  into  their  present 
position  by  the  wind,  which  comes  with  tremendous  force  off  the  Atlantic  during 
the  frequent  gales  that  occur  in  these  Western  Isles.  If  any  of  our  readers  have 
stood  on  the  sandy  shores  or  links  of  one  of  the  Hebrides  in  time  of  storm,  and 
seen  the  blinding  drift  of  sand  and  shells  blown  along  by  the  gale,  they  may  have 
observed,  that  as  the  storm  gradually  abates  the  wind  is  unable  to  carry  along  with 
it  the  heavier  objects,  and  that  the  sand  is  blown  away  from  the  shells,  which  are 
displayed  in  a  layer  upon  the  surface  of  the  beach ;  or  if  they  have  visited  the 
shores  of  Holland,  where  sand-dunes  fringe  the  coast,  and  keep  back  the  encroach- 
ment of  the  sea,  they  may  have  seen  the  same  operation  performed  by  the  wind 
under  similar  circumstances.  If  such  has  been  their  good  fortune,  we  think  they 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  accounting  for  the  scattered  shells  on  the  upper  surface  of 
the  layers  of  sand  under  the  human  deposits  on  Caisteal-nan-Gillean,  and  also  for 
those  on  the  sandhills  and  sand-wreaths  adjoining. 

We  admit  that  at  one  time  the  part  of  Oronsay  where  Caisteal-nan-Gillean 
stands  was  under  the  sea,  and  it  was  during  the  process  of  elevation  of  the  land, 
probably  a  gradual  operation,  that  all  the  rocks  must  have  been  exposed  to  the 
wash  of  the  waves.  As  the  land  rose,  the  rocky  shores  which  gradually  rise  inland 
from  the  present  high-water  mark  were  eroded  by  the  effects  of  the  weather,  as 
evidenced  by  the  rock  at  the  base  of  the  mound.  We  therefore  think  our  readers 
will  agree  with  us  that  there  seems  good  proof  that  it  was  at  a  time  long  after  this 
rock  had  ceased  to  be  washed  by  the  waves  that  it  was  covered  with  blown  sand, 
which  was  formed  at  this  part  of  the  island  into  sandhills  and  wreaths  with  the 
eddying  winds. 


1^ 


.IT 


'pi 

Itr 
ill 


*^r: 


WHEN  CAISTEAL-NAN-GILLEAN  WAS  FORMED. 


6i 


If  our  supposition  is  correct,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  rele- 
gate the  objects  found  on  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  to  a  period  much  earlier  than  the 
Christian  era,  as  would  be  requisite  if  we  suppose  the  remains  to  have  been  de- 
posited when  the  part  of  Oronsay  on  which  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  is  situated  was  at 
or  near  the  sea  level,  and  formed  part  of  the  sea  shore.  Moreover,  the  opinion  we 
have  stated  as  to  the  probable  period  of  the  formation  of  the  mound  seems  to  be 
borne  out  by  the  dim  light  of  early  Scottish  history. 

During  part  of  the  past^summer  (1884),  Mr.  W.  Galloway  has  been  excavat- 
ing  at  a  second  shell-mound  on  the  island  of  Oronsay,  and  among  other  remains 
has  discovered  a  coracoid  bone  of  Aim  impcnnis.  From  the  situation  in  which 
this  bono  has  been  found,  wo  conclude  that  the  bird  to  which  it  belonged  was  used 
as  food.  We  think  it  is  also  additional  evidence  that  at  one  time  the  Garefowl 
was  common  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Oronsay,  and  probably  bred  upon  the  nume- 
rous rocky  islets  near  its  shores. 


A 


{  r 


i 


■  I 


(     6.     ) 


CHAPTER  IX. 


w 

■i  ' 


ENGLISH  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 
rilHE  discovery  of  traces  of  tlie  Great  Auk  in  a  cave  near  Whitburn  Lizards, 


T 


m 


county  Durham,  during  the  spring  of  1878,  is  very  interesting,  as  until  that 
time  no  remains  of  this  bird,  so  far  as  known,  had  been  found  in  England. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  at  cue  time  the  Great  Auk  was  in  the  habit  of 
visiting  the  shores  of  oven  the  most  southern  parts  of  Britain,  but  it  is  long  since 
these  visits  became  of  very  rare  occurrence.  The  last  notice  that  we  know  of  the 
Great  Auk  having  been  met  with  in  the  north-east  of  England,  is  the  mention  that 
a  specimen  had  been  captured  on  the  Earn  Islands  about  a  century  ago.* 

It  appears  that  the  workmen  employed  by  the  Whitburn  Coal  Company  had 
been  quarrying  limestone  on  the  eastern  escarpment  of  the  Cleadon  Hills,  named 
on  the  Ordnance  Survey  Map  "  Whitburn  Lizards,"  when  underneath  a  quantity 
of  debris  which  had  at  one  time  fallen  from  the  face  of  the  cliff,  they  discovered 
a  cave  which  at  some  remote  period  had  evidently  been  formed  by  the  sea  when 
the  land  was  at  a  lower  level,  as  it  was  situated  on  the  north-east  escarp  of  the 
hill,  about  fifteen  fet-t  from  its  sunmiit,  and  1 10  feet  above  the  present  sea-level. 
Mr.  Howse,  who  was  one  of  those  who  examined  it,  lias  written  a  preliminary 
descrii3tion  of  the  cave  and  its  contents.'"'  He  states  that  he  believes  this  cave, 
along  with  other  two  adjoining  it  that  have  since  been  discovered,  wero  raised 
to  their  present  elevation  long  before  being  occupied  by  the  creatures  whose 
remains  have  been  found  in  them,  and  that  probably  the  deposits  on  the  cave- 
floors  are  not  of  extreme  anti(juity,  as  in  none  of  them  were  discovered  traces  of 
the  hyiona  and  cave-bear,  met  with  in  such  abundance  in  some  ether  English  caves. 
The  cave  ran  nearly  due  west  into  the  hill,  bil'urcating  near  its  inner  end.  The 
entrance  was  about  four  feet  liigh  before  the  strata  of  the  cave-floor  was  disturbed. 

1  "  Catalogue  uf  tlie  liirds  of  Noitliumbcibncl  ami  Duiliaui,'  by  Mr.  Joliu  Iluucuck.  " Tiausactious, 
Tyiiesiile  Naturalists'  CIuli,"  vol.  vi.  ]>.  lliS. 

"  "  Natural  History  Tiauaactiuus  of  KoitliumljurlauJ,  Durliaui,  aud  Kewcastle-uu-TyDe,"  vol.  vii.  part  ii., 
1880,  pp.  aOl-304. 


.1:,:  J 


T^^=^ 


REMAINS  IN  CAVE  AT  WHITBURN  LIZARDS. 


63 


Tho  deposits  consisted  of  a  layer  of  cave  earth,  with  an  irregular  surface  that  was 
grooved  with  tho  drainage  of  water,  and  was  of  reddish  colour,  rather  fatty  to 
appearance,  but  friable  when  dried.  It  averaged  about  two  feet  in  thickness,  was 
intermixed  with  tho  various  remains,  and  rested  on  the  soft,  nearly  yellow  lime- 
stone that  formed  tho  bottom  of  the  cave.  It  seems  rather  strange  that  no 
rounded  water-worn  stones  were  found,  as  these  are  generally  present  on  the 
bottom  of  sea-caves ;  and  it  is  by  tho  grinding  power  of  these  implements,  when  set 
in  motion  by  the  waves,  that  caves  are  usually  formed  along  the  lines  of  veins  of 
softer  rock  (frequently  limestone)  that  run  through  cliffs ;  but  in  the  case  under 
notice  they  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 

Until  this  discovery  the  scientists  acquainted  with  the  locality  had  no  idea 
of  the  existence  of  any  caves  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  it  must  have  caused 
considerable  surprise  to  the  officials  of  the  Museum  of  tho  Natural  History  Society, 
Nowcastle-on-Tyne,  when,  in  tho  spring  of  1878,  they  received  the  first  box 
containing  tho  remains,  which  were  kindly  sent  them  by  Mr.  John  Daglish, 
Tynemouth,  who  at  the  same  time  gave  liberty  for  some  members  of  the  Society 
to  excavate  in  the  cave.  It  was  fortunate  that  such  a  competent  autliority  as 
Mr.  John  Hancock  undertook  the  examination  of  the  remains,  as  his  labours 
have  resulted  in  the  identification  of  bones  that  have  belonged  to  a  considerable 
number  of  mammalia  and  birds,  along  with  the  shells  of  several  of  the  mollusca. 

Among  the  former  of  these  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  there  are  several 
domestic  animals,  but  their  remains  are  associated  with  those  of  some  animals 
that  have  long  been  extinct  in  the  North  of  England.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  know  if  tho  first  excavations,  and  those  that  were  afterwards  undertaken,  were 
conducted  with  the  scientific  accuracy  necessary  to  preserve  the  sequence  of  the 
various  layers  of  cave  earth,  the  age  of  which  would  of  course  bo  in  proportion 
to  their  depth.  We  would  therefore  expect  tha*-  the  remains  of  the  domestic 
animals  might  probably  bo  mostly  found  among  the  upper  layers  of  cave  earth, 
or  possibly  upon  its  surface ;  while  the  remains  of  the  wild  animals  now  extinct 
in  the  locality  would  be  most  plentiful  in  the  lower  strata,  and  gradually  decrease 
in  quantity  towards  tho  upper  layers,  and  possibly  be  entirely  absent  from  the 
surface.  However,  as  the  paper  that  has  been  written  by  Mr.  Howse  is  only  a 
preliminary  communication,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  when  he  gives  a  full 
account  of  tho  explorations  ho  will  refer  to  the  subject. 

Tho  following  ia  a  list  of  the  species  whose  bones  or  shells  have  been 
identified : — 


, 


r 


!i      ■ 


i'l 


Mi 


;'!.• 


^^ ^ffE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 

Mammalia. 

Ho«o,  cow.  «heop  .log,  pig  „rwiM  boar,  rcd-deor.  roe-dcer,  badger,  fox  yellow 
l.ro«8te,l  martin,  weasel,  hedgehog,  mole,  water-vole.  '  ^ 

Linus. 

Kestrel  or  merlin,  gannot,  groat  auk,  razorbill. 

MOLLUSCA. 

Oyster,  periwinkle,  limpet,  and  several  species  Of  snaila         "        - 

bone  o7ttGtT^^"^'f  'r  ''°  ""'  ^^•"'^''^  '^"•^  ^"*--^'"g  -  ^^^  -gle 
of  this  part  of  Britain  in  early  times.     It  is  fortunate  that  the  bone,  which  is  an 
upperinandible  isso  characteristic  that  it  cannot  be  mistaken  for'tl!    of  an" 
other  bird  .  and  wo  are  greatly  obliged  to  Mr.  John  Hancock  for  kindly  furnish 
.ng  us  with  the  drawing  from  which  the  accompanying  woodcut  has  bee'pr^     e  . 


It  is  almost  a  wonder  that  amid  such  a  quantity  of  remains  this  bone  was 
80  easily  identified,  and  it  is  also  evidence  of  how  thorough  is  the  disannn 
of  bones  except  under  peculiar  conditions,  as,  with  .u^exre^ti      TZ: 
beak,  no  trace  of  the  Great  Auk  to  which  it  belonged  has  been  discovered. 


I 


^ 


(     6s     ) 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  HABITS  OF  THE  GAREFOWL,  AND  THE  REGION  IT  LIVED  IN. 

rilHE  habits  of  the  Garefowl  appear  to  have  led  it  to  frequent  those  isolated  situa- 
-■-  tions  where,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  it  would  be  free  from  molestation 
by  men,  as  the  bird's  want  of  the  power  of  flight  rando  it  so  helpless  when  on  land. 
It  is  unfortunate  that,  owing  perhaps  to  this  instinctive  retirement  from  places  of 
human  existence,  we  know  really  so  little  regarding  it.  One  of  the  best  descrip- 
tions we  have  is  that  by  Jfartin,  who,  writing  of  St.  Kilda,'  says  :  "  The  sea-fowl 
are  first  the  Gnirfowl,  bein-  the  stateliest,  ns  well  as  the  largest  sort,  and  above  the 
size  of  a  solan  goose ;  of  a  black  colour,  red  about  the  eyes,  a  large  white  spot 
under  each,  a  long  broad  bill.  It  stands  stately,  its  whole  body  erected  ;  its  wings 
short,  flies  not  at  all ;  lays  its  eggs  upon  the  bare  rock,  which  if  taken  away,  she 
lays  no  more  for  that  year.  She  is  wliole  footed  [web-footed],  and  has  the  hatch- 
ing-spot upon  her  breast,  i.e.  a  bare  spot  from  which  the  feathers  have  fallen  off" 
with  the  heat  in  liatching,— its  egg  is  twice  as  big  as  that  of  a  solan  goose,  and 
is  variously  spotted,  black,  green,  and  dark.  It  comes  without  regard  to  any 
wind,  appears  the  first  of  May,  and  goes  away  about  the  middle  of  June." 

^  A  later  writer,  who  visited  St.  Kilda  in  June  1758,  says:  "The  bird  visits 
the  island  in  July ; "  but  this  is  evidently  a  mistake,  and  he  acknowledges  he  had 
not  seen  it  himself.'  Dr.  John  Alexander  Smith  refers  to  this,  and  seems  to  be  of 
the  opinion  that  in  1758  the  Garefowl  was  breeding  on  some  isolated  skerry  among 
the  Hebrides,  and  was  only  seen  at  St.  Kilda  after  the  period  of  incubation  was 


over. 


But  we  think  this  seems  hardly  probable,  as  when  we  have  any  mention 
of  the  Garefowl  being  seen  at  St.  Kilda,  it  is  always  at  its  breeding-time.  What 
came  over  the  bird  at  other  periods  of  the  year  is  likely  to  remain  a  mystery ;  but 
though  there  was  a  generally  accepted  idea  among  the  sailors  and  fishermen  of 


1  ''A  Voyage  to  St.  Kil.ln,  May  29,  lfi!)7,"  by  M.  Martin,  gent.     I'nblislieil,  Undon,  1753,  p.  27 

History  of  St.  Kilda,"  by  the  Ilov.  Mr.  Kenneth  Macaulay,  minister  of  Ardnamiirchan,  missionarv  to 
the  island  from  tlie  Society  for  Propagating  Christian  Knowledge.     London  1764,  p.  15C. 
'  "Proceedings  of  the  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries,"  vol.  i.  N.S.,  p.  90,  1878-79. 

I 


f  I 


r 


I 


66 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


I 


Newfoundland  *  that  it  did  not  leave  soundings,  it  seems  evident  that  it  must  have 
occasionally  mode  long  sea  journeys.  The  stray  birds  that  appeared  from  time  to 
time  at  various  parts  of  our  coasts  in  this  century,  indicate  that,  as  it  did  not 
breed  during  this  period  at  any  nearer  point  than  Iceland,  it  must  at  least  have 
found  its  way  across  the  sea  from  there.  If  this  was  the  case  when  the  bird  had 
become  so  rare,  we  may  infer  that  it  migrated  in  much  larger  numbers  in  early 
times  when  it  existed  in  such  strong  colonics.  It  is  said  "  that  they  swam  with 
their  heads  much  lifted  up,  but  their  necks  drawn  in  ;  they  never  tried  to  flap  along 
the  water,  but  dived  as  soon  as  alarmed.  On  the  rocks  thoy  sat  more  upright 
than  either  the  guillemots  or  razorbills,  and  their  station  was  further  removed  from 
the  sea.  They  were  easily  frightened  by  noise,  but  not  by  what  they  saw.  They 
sometimes  uttered  a  few  low  croaks.  They  have  never  been  known  to  defend  their 
eggs,  but  would  bite  fiercely  if  they  had  the  chance  when  caught.  They  walk  or 
run  with  little  short  steps,  and  go  straight  like  a  man.  One  has  been  known  to  drop 
down  some  two  fathoms  off  the  rock  into  the  water.  Finally,  I  may  add  that  the 
colour  of  the  inside  of  their  mouths  is  said  to  have  been  yellow,  as  in  the  allied 
species."'  Eggert Olafsson, writing  in  1772,*  says:  "The  eggs  lie  together  on  the 
bird's  dung;  they  build  no  nest.  Several  Oarefowls  have  this  nest  and  eggs  in 
common."  Professor  Stcenstrup,  writing  13th  April  1885,  informs  us  that  "  Mr. 
E.  Olafsson  never  saw  the  Garefowl  living,  or  at  its  nesting  place."  He  adds, 
"  Olafsson's  statements  regarding  the  habits  of  the  birds  that  breed  upon  the  rocks 
is  in  accordance  with  the  relations  of  other  authors.  In  narrating  the  capture  of 
the  last  pair  of  Garefowls  at  Eldoy  in  1811,  the  writer  remarks:'  "As  the  men 
clambered  up  they  saw  two  Garefowls  sitting  among  numberless  other  rock-birds 
(Uria  troile  and  Alca  tordu),  and  at  once  gave  chase.  The  Garefowls  showed  not 
tlie  slightest  disposition  to  repel  the  invaders,  but  immediately  ran  along  under  the 
high  clitf,  their  heads  erect,  their  little  wings  somewhat  extended.  They  uttered 
no  cry  of  alarm,  and  moved,  with  their  short  steps,  about  as  quickly  as  a  man  could 
walk.     Jon  (Brandsson),  with  outstretched  arms,  drove  one  into  a  corner,  where 


*  A  writer  in  the  "  English  Pilot "  for  1794,  quoted  by  .Sir  Kiohard  Bminycastle  ("  Newfouiidland  in  1842," 
viil.  i.  p.  232)  states — "Tliere  is  also  nnotlier  thing  to  be  taken  notice  uf  in  treating  of  this  coast,  that  you 
may  know  this  [liank]  by  the  great  quantities  of  fowls  upon  tlie  Imnk,  namely,  shearwaters,  willucks,  noddies, 
gulls,  penguins  (i.;.  Great  Auks),  &c.,  without  any  exceptions,  which  is  a  mistake,  for  1  have  seen  all  these 
fowls  a  hundred  leagues  off  this  bank,  the  penguins  (i.e.  Circat  Auks)  excepted." 

'  Mr.  (now  Professor)  A.  Newton  on  Mr.  J.  Wolley's  "  Hesearches  iu  Iceland  respecting  the  Garefowl," 
Ibis,  vol.  iii.,  181)1,  p.  393. 

«  E.  Olafsson  og  li.  I'alsson  Reise  igj.  Island.  Soriie,  1772,  f.  89G,  831. 

'  Professor  A.  Newton  on  "Kesearchesiu  Iceland."  /(/i>,  vol  iii.,  ISCl,  p.  391.    See  also  p.  21  of  this  work. 


II 


HABITS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


f>7 


he  soon  hod  it  fast,  SigurSr  (Islofsson)  and  Ketil  pursued  the  second,  and  the 
former  seized  it  close  to  the  edge  of  the  rock,  here  risen  to  a  precipice  some 
fathoms  high,  the  water  being  directly  below  it.  Ketil  (Ketilson)  then  returned 
to  the  sloping  shelf  whence  the  birds  had  started,  and  saw  an  egg  lying  on  the 
lava  slab,  which  he  knew  to  be  a  Garefowl's.  Ho  took  it  up,  but  finding  it  was 
broken,  put  it  down  again.  Whether  there  was  not  another  egg  is  uncertain. 
All  this  took  place  in  much  less  timo  than  it  takes  to  tell  it." 

The  Garofowl  appears  to  have  been  either  excessively  stupid  or  insatiable  in 
its  appetite.  One  was  caught  about  1812  near  Papa  Westray,  Orkney,  on  the 
open  sea  by  some  fishermen,  who  enticed  it  to  the  side  of  the  boat  by  holding  out 
a  few  fish,*  and  then  striking  it  with  an  oar,  either  stunned  or  killed  it  outright," 
which,  does  not  appear  to  be  certain,  but  the  result  was  that  tho  bird  was 
captured.  Another  instance  of  the  same  kind  occurred  with  the  specimen  caught 
alive  at  the  entrance  to  Waterford  Harbour  in  May  183 1.'"  There  are  also  several 
notices  of  its  having  been  caught  with  baited  lines  by  vessels  crossing  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland." 

Tho  Danish  naturalist,  Olaus  Wormius,  gives  a  figure  of  this  bird.  He 
appears  to  have  drawn  it  from  a  living  specimen  he  had  obtained  from  tho  Fiiroe 
Islands,  and  which  lived  under  his  care  for  several  months.  The  peculiarity  of 
tho  figure  is,  that  it  shows  the  Garefowl  with  a  white  ring  round  its  neck,'^  which 
most  probably  indicates  the  bird  was  in  its  spring  plumage,  and  was  just  throwing 
off  the  white  feathers  that  appeared  on  its  throat  and  neck  during  winter."  (Fig. 
p.  G8,  also  Note,  p.  74.) 

In  Pennant's  "British  Zoology,"  vol.  ii.,  London,  1812,  p.  14G,  is  given  a 
figure  of  tho  bird  swimming,  I'ennant  says :  "  It  lays  one  egg,  which  is  six 
inches  long,  of  a  white  colour ;  some  are  irregularly  marked  with  puiplish  lines 
crossing  each  other,  others  blotched  with  black,  and  ferruginous  about  the  thicker 
end.  If  the  egg  is  taken  away  it  will  not  lay  another  that  season.  ...  It  lays 
its  egg  close  to  tho  sea-mark,  being  incapable,  by  reason  of  the  shortness  of  its 


'  " Tmnaactions  of  Tjnesido  Natunilists'  Field  Club,"  "ol.  iv,  p.  IIC. 

'  Dr.  Lathftiii,  "General  History  of  Birds,"  vol.  x. 
>»  Thonison'a  "  I'.irds  of  Ireland,"  vol.  iii.  p.  238. 

"  Audubon,   "Ornithological  Biograpiiy,"  1838,  and  Edward's"  Natural  History  of  Birds,"  part  iii. 
London,  1750. 

"  "Museum  AVormianum  sou  Historiro  Rerum  Rariorum  "  (Copenhagen),  Leyden,  1G55,  p.  301. 

13  I'  Proceedings  of  Scottish  Society  of  Anticiuaries,"  vol.  i.  N.S,,  p.  98.    See  also  p.  74  of  this  work 


68 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


lit 


wings,  to  mount  higher."  .  .  .  The  length  of  the  bird  to  the  end  of  its  toes  is 
three  feet,  that  of  the  bill  to  the  corner  of  the  mouth  four  inches  and  a  quarter ; 
part  of  the  upper  mnndible  is  covered  with  short  black  velvet-like  feathers  ;  it  is 


Anif,-  inatmUanicuHt  wit  Pivriniai  nf  Olfttis  Worniiua ;  from  Fiirof,  165ft.  (iru;it 
Auk  (.-l/rrt  ini;)tinii«,  Lmt\.)  Fuesimile  uf  uriginal  tigiiru  leilufcil  in  hIkc  t'.v 
une-tliiid. 

very  strong,  compressed,  and   marked  with  several   furrows  that  tally  both   iibove 
and  below.     Between  the  eyes  and  the  bill,  on  each  side,  is  a  large  white  spot ; 


Mucnulay's  "  Kiitory  of  St.  Kildn,"  p.  \i*\. 


m 


DESCRIPTION  OF  GREAT  AUK. 


69 


the  rest  of  the  head,  the  neck,  back,  tail,  and  wings  are  of  a  glossy  black.  The 
wings  are  so  small  as  to  bo  useless  for  flight,  the  length  from  the  tip  of  the 
longest  quill-feathers  to  the  first  joint  being  only  four  inches  and  a  quarter." 

It  is  of  interest  to  compare  the  above  with  the  description  given  by  Dr. 
Fleming,'^  as  he  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  living  bird  such  as  has  been 
affoiJed  to  no  other  British  naturalist  this  century — Length,  3  feet;  bill,  dorsally, 
3  inches  ;  in  front  of  the  nostrils,  2J ;  in  the  gape,  4i  ;  depth.  If  inches ;  7 
ridges  in  the  upper  and  11  in  the  lower  mandible ;  legs  black ;  irides  chestnut ; 
margin  of  the  eyelid  black ;  inside  the  mouth  orange ;  head,  back,  and  neck 
black — the  latter  with  a  brownish  tinge ;  quills  dusky ;  secondaries  tipped  with 
white  ;  breast  and  belly  wliito.  In  winter  the  brownish-black  of  the  throat  and 
foreneck  is  replaced  with  white.  When  fed  in  confinement  it  holds  up 
its  head,  expressing  its  anxiety  by  shaking  its  head  and  neck  and  uttering  a 
gurgling  noise ;  it  dives  and  swims  under  water,  "  even  with  a  long  cord 
attached  to  its  foot,  with  incredible  swiftness." 

The  recorded  occurrences  of  the  observation  or  capture  of  the  Garefowl  and 
the  discovery  of  its  remains  appear  to  limit  it  to  the  region  north  of  48  degrees 
north  latitude  in  the  European  area,  and  42  degrees  in  the  American  ;  and  while  in 
the  latter  its  occurrences  are  well  authenticated  south  of  70  degrees,  in  the  former 
it  is  said  to  have  been  found  only  as  far  north  as  the  borders  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  By 
far  the  most  northerly  stations  at  which  the  Great  Auk  bred  were  those  situateil 
on  the  shores  of  Iceland  and  east  Greenland.  (See  Professor  Steenstrup's  Remarks, 
Appendix  IV.)  This  circumstance  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  the  more 
temperate  climate  prevailing  in  the  eastern  area  from  the  efi'ects  of  the  Gulf  Stream. 

It  is  almost  certain  that  the  Garefowl  has  not  been  met  with  in  high 
northern  latitudes  east  of  Norway  "  or  Iceland,  though  there  is  an  unauthenticated 
report  that  one  was  met  with  at  Spitzbergon.'''  There  are  statements  made  in 
the  works  of  various  authors  on  natural  history  which  might  lead  \o  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  native  home  of  the  Garefowl  was  upon  the  ice-flows  of  hyperborean 


1*  "History  of  niitish  Aiiimiils."    Dr.  FleiiiinR,  1S28.     8vo. 

"  "  VidniiskulK'lijji)  Medilelclacr,'  18.V),  Nr.  3  7,  "  Kt  liiiling  til  fleirfusilcin,''  p.  0").  It  sesms  very 
doubtful  if  the  binl  I'lofossur  .Steenstrui)  lefeis  to,  nuil  wliich  wn»  allot  in  1S4S  liy  llcrr  Ijiurciii  llrodtkorb, 
of  Wurdic,  WI18  reuUy  it  (lamfowl.  Hce  for  further  information  /'/!.«.  vid.  iii.,  ISOl,  p.  S7J.  rrofcuiior  Steou- 
strup,  writing  us,  i:kh  April  1885,  siiys  :  "  Certainly  not  a  (iarefowl  " 

1"  "Hritiiih  Ornithology,"  vol.  ii.  p.  V.i'X  Jlr.  Solhy,  from  whom  this  report  appears  to  have  fimt 
eninnatcil,  and  wliich  bus  been  copied  into  other  works,  stated  to  rrofcssor  A.  Newton  ii^wus  a  mistake.  Itiis. 
»ol.  iii.,  1801,  p.  376. 


>  I'' 


7° 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


I 


ll 


regions,"  but  these  statements  seem  to  have  been  made  under  a  mistaken  impres- 
sion as  to  what  was  the  real  habitat  of  this  bird.'* 

Even  so  lately  as  1868  a  well-known  Swiss  writer  on  natural  history  gave  a 
beautifully  executed  plate  in  colour,  showing  the  birds  sitting  on  snow-covered 
ice  of  great  thickness  above  an  ice-hole,  while  the  background  is  filled  in  with 
mountains  of  ice.  Tlie  illustration  is  given  in  connection  with  a  paper  which  is 
a  valuable  addition  to  the  literature  on  the  Great  Auk.'° 

The  Garefowl  does  not  appear  to  have  thriven  when  removed  to  situations 
away  from  the  coast ;  and  Mohr  informs  us  that  the  peasants  of  Iceland  believed 
the  bird  was  blind  when  on  land.^"  A  writer,  who  lived  two  centuries  ago, 
had  several  at  different  times,  which  were  easily  tamed,  but  did  not  live  long 
inland.  These  birds  were  caught  at  the  Faroe  Isles."'  Another  specimen  from  the 
same  locality  was  sent  to  the  Danish  naturalist,  Olaus  Wormius,  and  from  what  he 
states,'"  it  appears  to  have  lived  only  a  few  months  from  the  time  he  received  it. 

In  corroboration  of  the  above,  we  have  the  instance  of  the  Great  Auk 
captured  at  the  entrance  to  Waterford  Harbour  in  September  1834,  which,  when 
caught,  appeared  to  be  starving,  as  it  came  to  the  side  of  the  boat  to  get  food, 
and  for  some  days  after  its  capture  ate  greedily  of  potatoes  mashed  in  milk.  Ten 
days  after  it  was  caught,  the  bird  was  sold  to  Mr.  Davis,  who  sent  it  to  Mr.  Gough 
of  Horetown,  County  Wexford.  For  about  three  weeks  after  the  bird's  arrival  at 
its  new  home  it  was  not  known  to  eat  anything ;  but  fearing  it  would  succumb 
from  want  of  food,  Mr.  Gough  caused  potatoes  and  milk  to  be  forced  down  its 
throat,  and  from  that  time  it  ate  voraciously  until  within  a  day  or  two  of  its 
death,  which  occurred  a  little  over  four  months  from  the  time  of  its  capture. 
Wiien  in  Mr.  Gough 's  possessioa  its  principal  food  was  trout  and  other  fresh-water 
fish,  which  it  preferred  to  fish  .'rom  the  sea.  When  supplied  with  food  which  it 
was  fond  of,  it  often  stroked  its  head  with  its  foot,  and  also  performed  this  opera- 
tion on  other  occasions.  It  swallowed  the  fish  entire.  It  was  rather  fierce,  and 
stood  very  erect. 


"  "Temminck  in  tlio  Manuel  d'OrnitlioIogie  '  (2do  partie,  j).  940,  1820).  "Annuls  of  the  Lyceum 
of  Nat.  Hist.,"  New  York,  vol.  ii.,  18'i8,  p.  43'-'.  "  Tlie  IJinls  of  Kuropp,"  vol,  v.  John  tiould,  London,  1837. 
Text  leaf  to  PI.  400.     Richardson's  "  Fauna  Horealis,  Americana,"  1831,  kc. 

"  The  /6i'<,  vol.  iii,  p.  15,     Professor  J.  Reinhardt,  Copenhagen,  on  the  lilrds  of  Greenland, 

"  M.  Victor  Fatio,  in  "  ISuIletiu  do  la  Socioto  Suisse,"  tome  ii.  1"  partie,     Plate  I, 

-"  "Forsiig  til  en  Islandak  Naturliistorie,"  lie,  ved  N.  Molir,  C'opeidiagen,  1780,  p.  '.'8, 

-'  Dehes,  "  Fa-Toa  Keserata,"  p,  130,     Published  1673. 

^  "  Museum  Wormianum  scu  Uistorio)  Uorum  Kariorum  °'  (Coi<enkagen),    Leyden,  1G55,  p.  301. 


THE  GREAT  AUK  IN  CAPTIVITY. 


71 


Dr.  Burkitt  supplied  the  following  description  of  this  specimen,  now  in  the 
University  Museum,  Dublin : — "  This  bird,  a  young  female,  is  not  in  good 
plumage ;  ^^  the  head,  back,  wings,  legs,  and  feet  are  sooty  black ;  between 
the  bill  and  eye,  on  each  side  of  the  head,  there  is  a  large  patch  of  white, 
mottled  with  blackish  feathers ;  the  neck  is  white,  slightly  mottled  with  black ; 
the  front  of  the  body  white,  the  lesser  quills  tipped  with  white.^* 


Length  (totnl) ;  tail  not  perfect 

„  ,,  of  folded  wing  (from  carpus  to  point  of  longest  quill) 

„  „  bill  from  forelioad     . 

„  .,  bill  from  gape  or  rictus 

„  ,,  tarsus 

,,  ,,  middle  toe 

„  ,,             ,,         and  nail  . 

„  „  inner  toe 

„  „          „         and  nail     . 

,,  „  outer  toe 

„  „          ,,         and  nail 

,,  „  tail,  which  is  broken,  may  have  been  about 
Depth  (greatest)  of  bill,  exceeding           .... 


Inches. 
29 

H 

2| 
2rV 


95 

2 

W" 


In  addition  to  the  foregoing  there  is  the  notice  by  Audubon  of  the  Great 
Auk  caught  by  the  brother  of  his  engraver  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  He 
writes  as  follows  : — "  The  only  authentic  account  of  the  occurrence  of  this  bird  on 
our  coast  that  I  possess,  was  obtained  from  ]\Ir.  Henry  Havell,  brother  of  my 
engraver,  who,  when  on  his  passage  from  New  York  to  England,  hooked  a  Great 
Auk  on  the  Bank  of  Newfoundland  in  extremely  boisterous  weather.  On  being 
hauled  on  board  it  was  left  at  liberty  ou  the  deck ;  it  walked  very  awkwardly, 
often  tumbling  over,  bit  every  one  within  reach  of  its  powerful  bill,  and  refused 
food  of  all  kinds.  After  continuing  several  days  on  board  it  was  restored  to  its 
proper  element."  '^^ 

These  are  the  only  statements  known  to  us  which  point  to  the  Garefowl  not 


'^  It  is  said  tliis  bird  dic<l  while  iiioiiUing.     "  Hilda  of  Europe,"  H.  E.  Dresser,  vol.  viii.  p.  5C4. 

**  "Niituriil  History  of  Irch\nd,"  1851,  vol.  iii.  pp.  '^38,  239.  Also  a  viduuble  piiper  by  T.  H.  Clurney,  jun., 
in  the  "  Zoolo^jiat,"  18(i8,  2d  series,  pp.  1 44!)  I>l,"i2. 

'"•  "Orn.  ItioK-i"  vol.  iv.,  1838,  p.  31G.  Mr.  U.  Chiinipley,  in  a  letter  dated  7th  February  188.">,  referriiij; 
to  the  bill  of  the  Great  Auk,  siws  ;  "  As  the  number  of  furrows  give  strength  to  tlie  bill  in  holding  or  severing 
fisli  when  taken,  the  fewer  the  furrows  tiie  weaker  the  bill.  The  furrows  act  as  angle  iron  does  to  strengthen 
a  vertical  iron  tube  like  the  .Menai  Ihidge.  AVheu  the  bird  caught  a  fish  there  would  be  a  great  strain  on  the 
bill,  for  the  older  birds  would  take  and  grasp  at  heavier  tish,"    See  renmrks  on  "  tish,"  p.  72. 


I 


72 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


I,  i 

I  ! 

'      ■  1 

:  i 

I  i 


thriving  when  in  captivity;  but  if  there  are  any  otlier  records  in  existence 
that  would  throw  light  on  this  subject,  it  would  be  of  interest  to  have  them  pub- 
lished. 

We  believe  that  the  only  reference  to  the  food  of  the  Great  Auk  when  in  a 
state  of  freedom  is  made  by  0.  Fabricius,  who  says — "The  Great  Auk  fed  on 
Cottus  scorpius,  or  the  bull-head,  and  Cydoptcrus  lumpus,  or  the  lump-fish,  and 
other  fishes  of  the  same  size."^"  From  tho  bony  nature  of  the  bodies  of  the  fishes 
he  names,  we  think  it  most  unlikely  that  they  were  among  the  principal  foods  of 
the  Great  Auk,  and  if  any  of  those  birds  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  swallow  any  of 
those  fishes  they  might  be  expected  to  suffer  internal  pangs  worse  than  those  of 
hunger.  Fabricius  must  have  had  some  reason  for  making  the  statement,  and  it 
is  possible  that  on  examining  the  stomachs  of  some  of  those  birds  he  may  have  found 
bones  of  the  fishes  in  question.  We  suspect  that  the  other  fishes  he  refers  to  would 
be  the  staple  food  of  the  Great  Auk,  much  more  than  the  two  he  names.  His 
statement  would  lead  to  the  belief  that  the  size  was  more  important  than  the 
variety  of  the  fish,  and  this  appears  to  be  a  confirmation  of  the  observations  of 
others  that  the  Great  Auk  swallowed  fish  whole.  The  same  writer  tells  us,  "  that 
tho  stomach  of  a  young  bird  in  grey  down  (we  do  not  think  this  can  have  been 
a  young  Alca  iinpcnniH)  captured  in  August  contained  roseroot  (Sedum  rhodiola) 
and  littoi'al  vegetable  matter,  but  no  fishes." "'  This  is  possible,  as  the  roseroot 
grows  on  the  ledges  and  crevices  of  sea-clitfs  and  on  the  boulders  on  rocky  shores 
almost  to  within  reach  of  tho  waves  at  high  water,  and  the  littoral  deposits,  com- 
posed of  the  seaweeds  and  other  vegetable  matter  washed  up  by  the  waves,  would 
be  all  within  reach  of  the  young  sea  birds  before  they  launched  out  upon  the 
ocean  on  their  own  account.** 

Fabricius  is  the  only  writer  wo  know  of  who  says  he  saw  the  young  of  the 
Great  Auk,  and  who  gives  even  tho  slightest  description  of  it.  Unfortunately 
what  he  says  makes  it  more  than  doubtful  that  the  bird  he  describes  was  a  young 
Garefowl.  He  states  that  the  one  he  refers  to  was  captured  during  August,  and 
was  covered  with  grey  down,  "  pullum  vidi,  mense  Augusto  captum  lanuginem 
griseam  tantum  habentem."    If  this  young  bird  was  captured  by  Fabricius  during 


M  "  Fauna  Oroenlnndioa,"  i>,  82. 

"  " Fauna Gioenlaiidicn,"  p.  82.  rrofessor  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  dated  16tli  Muixh  18SC,  says,  "This 
young  bird  of  Fabricius  ban  really  nothing  to  do  with  Alr<x  impcnnis."  Also  "Et  liidrng  til  Geirfugleiis," 
Vidcnskaljclige  JltddelelBer,  1855,  p.  41. 

'8  Lightfuot,  "Flora  Soutiea,"  London,  1777,  vol.  ii.  p.  G20,  says,  "Tho  inhabitants  of  Greenland  eat 
roseroot  as  a  garden  stult. " 


1.'! 


THE  YOUNG  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


73 


I 


the  month  of  August,  it  seems  almost  certain  that  it  could  not  be  a  young  Gare- 
fowl,  for  the  egg  of  the  Garefowl  was  hatched  out  by  the  middle  of  June,  and  the 
young  bird  would  be  well  feathered  by  August,  and  would  have  very  little  if  any 
grey  down.  It  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  the  Garefowl  laid  only  one  egg 
each  year,  and  it  is  generally  supposed  that  shortly  after  the  young  one  was 
hatched  it  betook  itself  to  the  sea,  as  when  it  came  from  the  shell  it  was  fitted 
for  swimming  and  diving.  It  is  therefore  more  likely  to  have  been  the  young  of 
some  other  large  swimming  bird  that  Fabricius  mistook  for  a  young  Garefowl,  and 
this  may  account  for  the  vegetable  matter  found  in  its  stomach,  as  the  usual  food 
of  the  Garefowl  appears  to  have  been  fish. 

The  only  immature  specimens  of  the  Great  Auk  that  are  believed  to  have 
been  preserved  are  a  specimen  at  Prague,  and  the  one  in  the  Newcastle-on-Tyne 
Museum,  which  probably  came  from  Newfoundland,  but  which  it  is  supposed  may 
have  been  sent  from  Fabricius  to  Marmaduke  Tunstall  of  Wycliffe,  a  collector  of 
zoological  specimens  who  lived  during  the  latter  half  of  last  century.^*  This 
collection  of  Tunstall'a  subsequently  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  George  Allan 
of  Blackwell  Grange,  near  Darlington,  from  whom  it  received  considerable  addi- 
tions, and  in  1822  was  bought  by  G.  T.  Fox,  Esq.,  F.L.S.,  for  the  Literary  and 
I'hilosophical  Society  of  Nowcastle-on-Tyne,  and  now  forms  part  of  the  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne  Museum.  Mr.  Allan  had  written  notes  on  the  various  birds,  but  that 
part  which  refers  to  the  Great  Auk  appears  to  have  been  penned  after  receiving 
information  that  was  mostly  erroneous.  Extracts  from  these  notes  were  published 
by  Mr.  Fox  in  1827  in  a  "Synopsis  of  the  Newcastle-on-Tyne  Museum,"  8vo. 
At  p.  92,  Mr.  Fox  refers  as  follows  to  the  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk  under  con- 
sideration : — "  Our  bird  is  apparently  a  young  one,  agreeably  to  Mr.  Allan's 
remark.  I  add  some  description  of  it,  as  the  young  was  not  known  to  Temminck. 
Neck  black,  spotted  or  mottled  with  white ;  bill,  upper  mandible,  with  one  large 
sulcus  at  the  base,  none  at  the  tip,  in  this  respect  analogous  to  the  young  and 
old  razorbill  (Aim  Tarda  and  I'icn,  Linn.) ;  six  or  eight  grooves  at  the  tip  of 
the  lower  mandible,  but  without  the  white  ground."  ^^ 

It  is  somewhat  extraordinary  that  with  this  exception,  and  possibly  another 


^  Latham  ("General  Synopsis  of  ISirils,"  London,  1785,  4to.  iii.  p.  312),  says,  "In  Mr.' Tunatall'i 
Museum  ia  one  of  these  (Great  Auks),  with  only  two  or  three  furrows  on  the  bill,  and  the  oval  space  between 
the  bill  and  the  eye  speckled  bluck  and  wiiite.  This  is  probably  a  young  bird."  iProfessor  Steenstrup, 
writing  us  13th  April  1885,  informs  us  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  this  young  bird  was  sent  from 
i'abricius, 

^  See  Appeudix,  Frofesaor  Elasiua'  remarks,  p.  18. 


.  ,1. 


i.    .5 


i 


i   ■  I' 


il' 


d  ' 


74 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


skin  preserved  at  Prague  in  Austria/^  all  the  stuffed  skins  are  those  of  mature 
birds ;  but  it  is  perhaps  attributable  to  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the  captors  to 
get  as  fine  specimens  aa  possible  for  collections,  as  under  ordinary  circumstances 
these  would  be  of  most  value,  and  the  scientific  world  only  wakened  up  when  it 
was  too  late  to  a  sense  of  the  want  of  stuffed  specimens  to  illustrate  the  various 
stages  of  Great  Auk  life. 

The  plumage  of  the  bird  is  known  to  have  varied  according  to  the  season 
of  the  year,  and  a  similar  change  takes  place  among  allied  species.  Tlie  follow- 
ing evidence  all  points  to  the  conclusion  that  it  had  more  white  feathers  upon 
its  throat  and  neck  in  winter  than  in  summer.  In  the  figure  we  give  of  the 
Great  Auk  at  p.  G8,  which  is  a  reduced  fac-simile  of  the  original  picture  taken 
by  Olaus  Wormius  in  1655  from  a  living  bird,  the  peculiar  feature  is  the  white 
ring  round  its  neck,  which  we  may  believe  would  not  been  shown  there  unless 
it  had  existed  in  the  live  specimen,  or  had  been  put  on  the  figure  for  some 
purpose.  The  late  Dr.  John  Alexander  Smith,  referring  to  this  specimen, 
remarks  this  white  collar,  and  thinks  it  may  be  explained  "  as  a  were  variety,  due 
to  the  rcmaim  of  its  winter  2>l>t'ninge,  when  the  throat  and  7ieek  are  more  or  less 
replaced  with  white." '"  Professor  John  Fleming,  D.D.,  writing  of  the  specimen 
he  obtained  at  St.  Kilda  in  1821,  says :  "  In  winter  the  hroionish-llack  of  the  throat 
and  fore-luck  is  replaced  with  while."  ^''  Mr.  H.  E.  Dresser  gives  the  following 
descriptions  of  the  Great  Auk,  but  his  statement  regarding  the  number  of  fur- 
rows upon  the  mandible  of  the  young  bird  in  Newcastle-on-Tyno  Museum,  which 
is  evidently  taken  from  Latluim,  does  not  appear  to  bo  correct,  if  we  may  accept 
what  Mr.  Fox  says,  whom  wo  have  just  quoted  : — 


"Adult  in  Summer. — Head,  hind  neck,  throat,  and  entire  upper  parts,  with 
the  wings  and  tail,  black ;  secondary  feathers  tipped  with  white,  and  between 

"  "  liuUetin  do  la  Sooi^tfi  Ornithologuiuo  Suisse,"  tomo  ii.  Ira  partie,  p.  82.  Professor  Steenstrup, 
writing  us  l.'Hh  April  1885,  remarks,  "I  think  it  is  not  so  extraordinary,  as  nearly  all  tlie  incliviiluals  killod 
and  skinned  have  been  cau<;ht  on  the  rocks  during  tlio  breeding  season,  anil  oon»e(iucntly  all  liave  been  old 
birds;  proportionately  very  rarely  have  they  been  killed  on  tlio  sea." 

''  "Prooeedings  of  tlio  Society  of  Antitiuaries  of  Scotland,  1878-70,  p.  98. 

"  "Edinburgh  Pliilosophical  .Toumal," vol.  x.  p.  97.  Professor  J.  Stconstrnp,  writing  us  on  4th  Feb- 
ruary 188,5,  mentions  that  tlie  white  nook  ring  shown  in  the  figure  of  the  Great  Auk  in  the  "  Museum 
Wormiauum  seu  Historiaj  Korum  Uariorum,  lOS.!,"  and  of  which  wo  give  a  reduced  reproduction  at  ji.  (W,  is 
artificial.  Professor  Steenstrup,  13th  April  1885,  draws  our  attention  to  what  he  states,  "Kt  liidrig  til 
Oeirfuglens,"  "  Videnskabelige  Meddelelser,"  IS.'jS,  No.  3-7,  p.  84,  note  *  *  *.  "An  artificial  ring  perhaps 
bearing  a  name  or  inscription."  He  adds,  "  Tliere  is  no  reason  why  such  a  ring  should  bo  produced  by  the 
change  of  plumage." 


PLUMAGE  OF  YOUNG  AND  ADULT,BIRDS. 


75 


the  beak  and  the  eye  there  is  also  a  large  oval  patch  of  white ;  breast  and  under- 
parts  generally  pure  white ;  beak  and  legs  black,  the  former  very  strong,  and 
with  several  vertical  furrows  on  the  lower  mandible ;  iris  deep  brown.  Total 
length,  about  30  inches ;  beak,  3  inches  6  lines ;  wing,  G  inches ;  tail,  2  inches ; 
tarsus,  2  inches  1  line. 

"Adult  in  IVinter. — Figured  by  Donovan  from  specimen  formerly  in  the 
Leverian  Museum,  as  having  the  chin,  throat,  and  front  of  the  neck  white  instead 
of  black. 


"  Young  (only  in  the  Newcastle  Museum).  Like  the  adult,  but  having  only 
two  or  three  furrows  on  the  mandible  instead  of  from  six  to  ten." 

Professor  Steenstrup  informs  the  author  that  one  of  the  stuffed  skins  in  the 
Royal  University  Zoological  Museum,  Copenhagen,  is  that  of  a  bird  in  winter 
plumage.''* 

Edmund  de  Solys-Longchamps,  writing  of  the  specimen  preserved  in  the 
Dublin  Museum,  says  that  of  all  the  many  specimens  examined  by  him  in  the 
different  museums  of  Europe,  this  is  the  only  one  in  winter  plumage ; "  possibly 
he  had  not  seen  the  Copenhagen  specimen. 


M  "Birds  of  Europe."  H.  E.  Dresser,  vol.  viii.  p.  603.  The  youngest  specimen  known  is  that  in  New- 
Cftstle ;  but  there  is  also  another  young  stuffed  skin  in  Prngue,  pp.  73, 77,  and  Appendix  pp.  17,  21.  In  aletter, 
dated  7tli  February  1885,  Mr.  U.  Champley  writes  us  as  follows :  "  Respecting  the  immature  Newcastle  bird, 
when  I  saw  it  a  fortnight  ago  I  noticed  one  furrow  at  base,  and  one  furrow  at  extremity  of  bill.  My  own 
has  ciglit  furrows  at  tlie  extremity,  and  proves  the  former  to  be  a  young  bird  and  the  latter  an  old  one." 
Professor  A.  Fiitsch  of  Prague  has  kindly  sent  us  a  figure  of  the  young  bird  in  the  Prague  Museum  as  it 
appears  in  his  great  work,  "  Natu'geschiolite  der  Vogel  Europa's ; "  and  if  the  drawing  is  correct,  it  must  bo 
considerably  older  than  the  young  specimen  at  Newcastle,  aa  six  furrows  are  shown  on  the  upper  and  seven 
on  the  under  mandible. 

3s  In  letter  dated  25th  August  1883.  Writing  again  on  13th  April  1885,  Professor  Steenstrup  informs  us 
that  in  his  opinion  Benicken's  description  of  the  Garefowl  in  winter  plumage  is  the  beat.  The  bird  described 
by  }5enicken  is  the  bird  in  winter  plumage  in  the  Uoyal  Zoological  Museum,  Copenhagen.  As  this  informa- 
tion regarding  the  importance  of  Benickcn'a  description  has  reached  ua  as  we  are  going  to  press,  and  his  paper 
is  not  accessible  at  such  short  notice,  we  must  content  ourselves  by  giving  the  reference  to  his  information 
regarding  the  winter  plumage.     Ibis,  1824,  p.  887. 

"  "  Comptes  roudus  des  Seances  do  la  Sociote  Eutomologicjue  de  Belgique,"  1876,  7th  Oct.,  p.  70. 


jW 


(     76    ) 


13 

^  ! 
■nil 

■-  ;>,  I  i 


«■  ! 


CHAPTER  XI. 

EXISTING  REMAINS  OF  THE  GAREFOWL. 

rilHE  romains  of  the  Garefowl  which  have  been  discovered  seem  to  localise  the 
bird  within  the  region  we  have  already  indicated,  as  they  have  occurred  in 
the  shell-mounds  of  Denmark  ;  in  two  similar  deposits  on  the  island  of  Oronsay, 
one  of  the  Southern  Hebrides;  in  an  ancient  kitchen-midden  at  Keiss.  Caithness- 
shire  ;  and  also  at  the  Whitburn  Lizards,  county  Durham.      Some  bones  were 
found  in  Iceland  ;  in  the  United  States,  at  Mount  Desert,  and  Crouches  Cave  in 
Maine,  and  in  shel  -heaps  near  Ipswich  in  Massachusetts,  bones  representing  at 
least   even  Garefow Is  were  discovered  ;  but  at  Funk  Island,  off  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland    by    ar  the  largest  quantity  of  remains  was  obtained.     We  may  rel 
assured  that  all  that  have  been  found  are  very  few  in  number,  in  comparison  t 
what  at  one  time  existed ;  and  that  there  is  any  good  prospect  of  the  further  dis- 
covery of  extensive  deposits  of  Garefowl  bones  may  well  be  doubted 

It  has  been  suggested  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  Alex.  Smith'  that  the  kitchen- 

B^  IT  it  T"'  T  f '''°*'  °''''-  '"''"  "°"'^^  "'^^'y  y^^^-J  -  rich  harvest. 
But  we  doubt  It  exceedingly,  as  Martin  ==  mentions  that  the  natives  ased  the 
entrails  and  bones  of  the  birds  they  killed  along  with  other  materials  for  mak  ng 
up  a  compost  to  put  upon  the  land.  This  being  the  case,  the  greater  part  would 
Boon  disappear;  and  if  any  bones  remain  they  must  evidently  be  looked  for  at 
the  time  of  ploughing  the  cultivated  ground. 

^^J^  "•"f  difficult  tx)  give  an  absolutely  correct  list  of  all  the  known  remains 
of  the  Great  Auk,  as  year  by  year  new  discoveries  are  being  made  of  skins,  bones. 
and  eggs,  which,  from  various  causes,  have  not  hitherto  been  brought  to  light 
There  is  also  another  difficulty,  and  that  is  to  avoid  enumerating  the  same' 
remains  more  than  once;  as  some  remains  that  were  mentioned  as  being  in 
public  and  private  collections  not  many  years  ago,  have  since  changed  hands 
and  It  IS  sometimes  difficult  to  discover  where  they  have  found  a  resting-place.     ' 

1  ''Proceedings  of  the  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries,"  1878-70  p   10.1 
Martm  s     Voyage  to  St.  Kilda,  1GU7,  '  p.  18.    Published,  Juion.  17^. 


! 


V 


RECORDED  SKINS  OF  GREAT  AUK. 


77 


Bearing  these  things  in  mind,  our  readers  must  be  indulgent  and  not  become 
too  severe  critics,  if  they  find  mistakes  in  the  following  lists,  which  we  have 
prepared  from  the  lists  of  M.  Victor  Fatio,^  and  the  additions  and  corrections  of 
those  lists  made  by  Professor  A.  Newton,*  along  with  the  information  given  by 
Professor  Wh.  Blasius  in  his  recent  valuable  paper,*"  of  which  we  give  partial 
translations  (see  Appendix,  pp.  4-34),  combined  with  what  knowledge  we  our- 
selves hao  been  able  to  bring  to  bear  upon  the  subject. 

LIST  OF  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK  {Alca  imfeimis,  Linn.) 

SKINS. 


Country. 


Austria. 


Belgium, 


Itiitisli 
Isles. 


Placo  and  Collection. 


Graz.  .loannetim.  J.  W.  Clark,  in  litt,  istli  October  1868.  See 
Appeiiilix,  p.  12. 

Prague.  I'art  collection  Serine  ;  one  of  these  is  supposed  to  be  a 
young  bird.  I'rofessor  Anton  Fritsch  lias  been  kind  enough 
to  forward  to  us  ligures  of  these  specimens  as  tliey  appear  in 
his  great  work,  "  Natnrgeschichte  der  Viigel  Europa's."  The 
adult  is  similar  to  other  mature  specimens,  and  has  the 
plumage  of  winter  or  early  spring ;  but  the  skin  of  the  young 
bird  is  remarkiiblo  in  that  it  wants  the  white  mark  on  its 
head  in  front  of  the  eye,  and  that,  instead  of  the  upper  jiart 
of  its  neck  in  front  being  black,  as  in  the  adult,  it  is  grey 
or  speckled,  csiiccially  .at  the  sides  of  the  neck  where  the 
lighter  plumage  of  the  front  meiges  upon  the  dark  feathers 
of  tlie  back,  which  are  not,  however,  so  ilark  as  in  the  old 
bird.  Tlie  plumage  of  the  lower  part  of  the  body  is  siuular 
to  that  of  the  adult,  only  a  few  more  dark  feathers  appear  as 
a  patch  upon  the  white  plumage  immediately  below  the 
wings.     See  Appendix,  p.  21, 

Vienna.    Imperia:  Koyal  Alusenm.    See  Appendix,  p.  24. 

lirussels.    Town  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  8. 

I.ongchamps.  Collection  of  the  liaron  de  Selys-Longchanips. 
See  Appendix,  p.  15. 

Boyne  Court,  Essex.  Collection  of  Mrs.  Lescher.  See  Appendix, 
p.  7. 

Brighton— Chichester  House,  East  Cliff.  Collection  of  the  late 
Air.  (Jeorge  Ibiwson  Rowley ;  now  in  the  possession  of  his 
son,  Mr.  0.  Fydell  Rowley.     See  Appendix,  p.  8. 

Cambridge.     University  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  8. 

Clunguiuord  House.  Aston-on-Clun,  Shropshire.  Collection  of 
tlie  late  Mr.  Rocke ;  now  in  the  possession  of  Mm.  Uoeke. 
See  Appendix,  ]>.  9. 

Dublin  University  Museum.  This  specimen  is  said  to  be  the 
only  one  known  in  winter  plumagi".  but  we  think  there  are 
probably  one  or  two  other  specimens  with  the  same  feather- 


No.  Authority. 


Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Herr  A.  Fritsch. 
Prof.  W.  Blasius. 


Herr  W.  Passler. 
Prof.  A.  Newton. 


Jcnyus. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 


Mr.  U.  Champley. 


"Bulletin  do  la  Sociiito  Ornithologique  Suisse,"  vol.  ii.,  part  1,  pp.  80-85. 

/6m,  vol.  vi.,N.  S.,p.  2.56. 

"  Zur  Geschichte  dcr  Ueberresto  vou  Alca  inipennis,  Linu."    Naumburg,  a/S.  1884. 


78 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


\\\ 


|i  ' 


SKINS — cotitinued. 


m 


Country. 


British 

Isles — 

continued. 


Place  aud  CoUoctluii. 


Denmark. 


ing.     Seo  p.  71,  Prague,  p.  77,  Copenhagen,  p.  79,  also  Ap 
pendix  p.  10. 

Durlmni  Uiuversity  Museum.  See  p.  22  and  p.  91,  also  Appendix, 
p.  10. 

Floors  CdHtle,  UoxburBhshiro.  Collection  of  Duke  of  Uoxhurghe, 
seen  by  tliu  author.  It  is  not  well  stutfed,  and  wo  tliink 
nii<;ht  bo  iiMjiroved.     Seo  Appendix,  p.  11,  also  p.  92, 

Hawkstnne,  Shropshire.  Collection  of  Viscunut  lull.  See  Ap- 
pendix, p.  13. 

Leeds.    Museum  of  Pliilosophiciil  Society.    See  Appendix,  p.  14. 

Leighton.   Wales.    Cnlkctiimof  Mr.  Naylor.   Seo  Appendix,  p.  14. 

Loudon.  Natural  History  Collection,  Uritisli  Museum,  seen  by 
author.  The  first  of  these  speciuu'us  was  bouj;ht  by  Dr. 
Leach  at  the  sale  of  the  etlbcts  of  Mr.  HuUock  on  sth  May 
1819,  for  £is,  s^<.  6d.,  and  deposited  in  the  National  Collec- 
tion. The  second  was  obtained  by  the  Museum  in  1856.  It 
came  from  tlie  collection  of  Professor  Van  Lidth  de  Jeude, 
who  obtained  it  from  the  Koyal  Museum,  Copcnha<,'cn,  to 
which  institution  it  had  como  from  Iceland  subsequent  to  the 
year  1830,  At  one  time  the  word  Labrador  was  marked  on 
its  stand.     Seo  p.  10,  also  A|)pondlx,  p.  15. 

London.  A  specimen  which  l)eIongs  to  Lord  Lilford  is  at  pre- 
.sent  deposited  in  the  rooms  ot  the  Ornitholofjical  Union, 
6  'reiiterden  Street  j  but  will  probably  bo  ore  lou^;  removed 
to  his  lurdshi]>'s  seat,  Lilford  Hall,  Uundlc,  Northamptonshire. 
See  Ap]iendlx,  p.  15. 

Newcaslle-oii-Tyuc.  Sluseum  of  the  Natural  History  Society  of 
Northumberland,  Durham,  and  Newcastle-on-Tyne.  There nro 
two  specimens  iiieserved  hero.  The  first  of  those  is  a  younc 
bird,  which  has  been  killed  before  it  had  winter  plumage,  and 
is  a  unique  s|iecimen  in  that  res])ect.  For  further  particulars, 
sec  p.  73.  The  other  skin  is  tliat  of  an  old  bird  in  summer 
plumage,  which  until  recently  bebmged  to  Mr.  John  Hancock, 
who  has  been  most  handsome  in  his  donations  to  the  Museum. 
Seo  Aiipeiidix,  pp.  17  and  18. 

Norwich  Town  Museum.     Seo  Appendix,  p.  19. 

Usberton,  near  Worksop,  Nottinghamshire.  Collection  of  Mr. 
F.  W.  Foljambe.    See  Appendix,  p.  20. 

.Poltalloch,  Lochgilpliead,  Argyllshire.  C<dlection  of  Mr.  John 
Malcidm.    See  p.  94,  also  Appendix,  p.  21. 

Scarborough,  Yorkshire.  Collection  of  nir.  K.  Clmmpley.  See 
Appendix,  p.  21. 

York.  Museum  of  the  Yorkshire  Philosophical  Society  (seen  by 
the  author).  There  are  two  stuH'ed  skins,  but  there  is  a  great 
contrast  between  the  specinieiis.  The  one  iii  the  Uudston 
t^oUectiou  is  a  very  line  skin,  carefully  covered  by  a  glass 
shade,  which  is  again  placed  within  the  ordinary  glass-fronted 
wall-case.  The  other  skin  is  in  tlie  gallery  of  the  Foreijjn 
ItinlUoom,  and  belongs  to  tlie  Strickland  Collection,  but  is  in 
bad  condition  ;  and  looks  as  if  it  liad  at  one  time  been  greatly 
exposed  to  dust.  Its  feathers  are  riitHed,  or  perhaps  in  some 
instances  broken.  We  think  it  might  be  greatly  improved. 
See  Appendi.x,  ji.  24. 

Aalholm,  Nysted,  Laaland.  Collection  of  Count  Habcn.  The 
author  was  informed  of  the  existence  of  this  specimen  by  Pro- 
fessor J.  Steenstrup  in  a  letter  dated  25tli  August  1883.  Seo 
also  Appenduc,  p.  4. 


No. 


Authority. 


Mr.  R.  Cliampley. 
Mr.  J.  Gibson, 

Mr.  R.  Champley. 


Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Mr.  K.  Champley. 


Prof.  A.  Newton. 


Mr.  R.  Champley. 


Prof.  A,  Newton. 


Mr.  R.  Clmmpley. 


t    Prof.  J.  Steenstrup. 


V 


lit  H 


RECORDED  SKINS  OF  GREAT  AUK. 


79 


SKINS— cnntinueJ. 


Country. 


Denmark. 


France. 


Germany. 


Place  and  Collection. 


Copenhaf^en  Rnyal  University  Zoological  Museum.  One  in 
Huniiiier  pluinnf,'e  mid  tlie  otlier  in  winter  i>luinaKo.  Pro- 
fessor J.  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  (late<l  nth  heptciiihcr  1884, 
informs  nio  tliiit  tlie  Hpeciriu  m  in  wint(-r  plumule  uinhmbtedly 
catne  from  Greenlan(l,  and  is  the  only  Known  specimen  from 
that  locality.    See  Appendix,  pp.  9  and  14. 

Abbeville.    Town  Museum.    See  Appendix,  p.  5. 

Amiens.  Town  Museum.  Sue  Aitpendix,  p.  6.  Tliis  skin  is 
tlie  property  of  the  town,  but  is  at  present  under  the  roof 
of  an  old  house,  where,  however,  it  is  in  a  j^ood  state  of  pre- 
servation. It  is  (ireservod  there  ulonj;  with  other  stuffed 
birds. 

Chalon-sur-Saflne.  Collection  of  T)r.  B.  F.  de  Mnntessus.  See 
Appendix,  p.  8. 

Dieppe.  Collection  of  Mons.  Hardy ;  understood  now  to  be  in 
the  Mus^e  de  la  Villo.    See  Appendix,  p.  g. 

Lille.     Musde  d'Uistoiro  Naturelle  de  la  Ville.    See  Appendix, 

p.  15. 

I'aris.  Miisc'e  iVHistoiro  Naturelle,  Jardiii  dcs  Plantcs.  See 
Appendix,  p.  20. 

Paris.  The  private  collection  of  Mons.  .Iiilos  Vian.  This  speci- 
men was  recently  heard  of  by  Prof.  Wli.  Itlasius  of  Brunswick, 
and  refined  to  at  a  C(m^'rcss  of  Natural  History  Societies  lield 
at  Ma^iioliurj;  on  22(1  September  18S4.  In  a  paper  read  on 
that  oceasion,  Professor  lilasius  says  ;  "  In  the  siiriii'!  of  this 
year  (1S84),  <liirin^' a  journey  to  Hiissia,  I  visited  Warsaw, 
where  I  heard  from  llerr  Lad.  Taczanowski,  the  keeper  of  the 
Zoolo^'ical  Museum  in  that  city,  that  he  had  frequently  seen  a 
very  line  specimen  of  a  stutfed  skin  of  A/ca  iinpcniiis  in  the 
private  collection  of  Mons.  Jules  Vian  at  Paris,  and  tluit  the 
last  time  he  saw  it  was  quite  recently.  This  skin  has  not  been 
recorded  in  previous  lists.     See  p.  95. 

Vitry-Ie-Praiifois.  C'olleetion  of  the  Count  de  Hiscour,  who  in- 
formed Miins.  Victor  Fatio  repirdint;  this  skin  in  a  letter  date<l 
9tli  April  1S69.    See  Appendix,  p.  24. 

Berlin.     Boyal  Zoological  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  6. 

Bremen.  Municipal  Collection  of  Natural  History.  See  Appen- 
dix, p.  7. 

Breslau.  University  Zoological  Museum.  See  Appendix,  p.  7. 
Presnmablv  male  and  female. 

Brunswick.  University  Museum.  Of  the  two  skins  here  one  is 
only  on  loan.     Sec  Appendi.v,  p.  7. 

Darmstadt.  There  is  an  imitaticm  specimen  here,  of  which  only 
the  head  is  jicnnino.    See  )>.  85,  and  also  Appendix,  p.  9. 

Dre -del).     Boyal  Zoido^'ieal  Museum.     See  Appendix,  ]).  10. 

Flensburg.  No  skins  are  now  known  in  this  town.  See  Appen- 
dix, )).  10. 

Frankfort-on-Maino.  In  the  Museum  of  the  Seuckenberg  Society 
of  Natural  llistury.    See  Apiiendix,  p.  12. 

(iotlia.     Ducal  Muscnin.    See  Ajipendix,  p.  12. 

Hanover.     Provincial  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  13. 

Kiel.     University  Zoolou'ieal  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  13. 

Kiithou.  Anlialt.  The  Ducal  (formeily  Nanmann's)  Collection. 
See  ApjM'iidix,  p.  13. 

Leipzij;.     I'niversity  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p.  14. 

Mainz.    Town  Zoolou'ical  Museum.     See  Appendix,  ]i.  16. 

Metz.     Town  Museum.    See  Apiiendi.x.  p.  16. 


No. 


Autliority. 


Prof,  J.  Steenatrup. 


Prof.  A.  Newton. 


Prof.  W.  Blasius. 

Mr.  B.  Champley. 

Mons.  L.  Olplie- 

(iaillard. 
Herr.  W.  Preyer. 

Prof.  W.  Blasius. 


Mons.   Victor 
Fatio. 

Liclitcustein. 
Herr  K.  BoUe. 

Herr   Alex,    von 

Honieyer. 
Prof.  A,  Newton. 


HeiT  W.  Preyer. 


Herr  ^Vlcx.    von 

Homeyer. 
Dr.  Hellniaim. 
Cabanis. 

Prof.  W.  Blasius. 
Herr  W.  Preyer. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Herr  W.  Preyer. 
Pr^  .  A.  Newton. 


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80 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


SKl'SS—emtinued. 


Country.  . 


Germany 

— cont. 


Holland. 
Iceluncl. 


Itiily. 


Place  luid  Collection. 


Municli.    Zoological  Museum  of  the  Royal  Bavarian  Academy 

of  Sciences.    See  Appendix,  p.  i6. 
Oldenburg.    Grand  Ducal  Museum  of  Natural  History.     See 

Appendix,  p.  19. 
Strassburg.    Town  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  the  Academy. 

See  Appendix,  p.  22. 
Stuttgart.    Koyal  Cabinet  of  Natural  History.    See  Appendix, 

P-  23- 
Amsterdam.     Museum  of  Koyal  Zoological  Society.    See  Appeu- 

dix,  p.  6. 
Lcyden.    Zoological  MuHeum.    See  Appendix,  p.  ij. 
lieykjavik.    There  may  be  two  skins  here,  though  it  is  doubtful. 

For  the    first  of   these, — See  under  Fiensburg,  Appendix, 

p.  10.    This  skin  is  suid  to  be  now  in  the  Central  Park 

Museum,  New  York. 
The  second  was  mentioned  to  us  in  a  letter  from  Mr.  R.   M. 

Smith,  4  liellevue  Crescent,  Edinburgli,  dated  gth  December 

1884.  He  informed  us  tliat  he  visited  Iceland  in  1858,  and 
when  in  Reykjavik  saw  i>t  tlie  house  of  Mr.  Olsen  a  stuffed 
specimen  of  the  Great  .Vuk,  which  was  said  to  be  the  last 
that  was  shot  by  Mr.  Siemson,  who  mentioned  the  fact  to  Mr. 
Smith,  and  told  him  that  at  the  time  it  was  killed  another 
Great  Auk  was  left  alive  at  the  skerry  south-west  of  Cape 
Reykianes.  Mr.  Smith  supposed  that  this  Great  Auk  liad 
been  killed  between  1S55  and  1S58,  as  when  he  visited  Ice- 
land in  the  former  year  Tie  did  not  hear  of  it ;  but  this  must  be 
a  mistake,  as  the  "  IJescaiches "  of  Professor  A.  Newton  and 
the  late  Mr.  Wolley  have  made  clear.  Mr.  Smith  adds,  "So 
far  as  my  recollection  serves  me,  tlie  specimen  I  saw  was 
much  larger  than  the  one  recently  shown  at  the  Museum  of 
Science  and  Art."  Tliis  remark  refers  to  the  Floors  specimen, 
which  was  brought  to  lOdinbiirgh  to  be  exhibited  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Royal  Physical  Society  (see  page  9?).  On  receipt  of 
this  information  wo  at  once  wrote  Mr.  Smith  asking  if  he  had 
heard  of  the  skin  more  recently,  and  on  the  nth  December 
he  writes,  "  I  had  written  particularly  to  the  Landfogcd  at 
Reykjavik,  Mr.  TliorKt(!in»(m,  hut  he  could  not  obtain  any 
information  about  the  specimen  I  saw,  but  I  may  yet  be  able 
to  learn  .•fometliing  furtlier."  I'rofe.Sbor  A.  Newton,  to  whom 
we  mentioned  Mr.  Smith's  statement,  wrote  ns,  on  5th  March 

1885,  as  follows: — "I  think  your  correspondent  lias  made 
some  mistake.  In  1858  Mr.  vVolley  and  I  were  for  sonic 
weeks  in  Reykjavik  iiupiirin^  in  every  direction  about  the 
Auk,  our  inquiries  being  aided  by  the  kindness  of  the  towns- 
people. We  never  heard  of  such  a  specimen  us  you  mention , 
and  I  think  I  can  almost  positively  assert  that  there  was  ik  , 
one,  even  in  the  whole  of  Iceland,  at  the  time."  Professor 
Steenstrnp  writes,  on  i6th  March  1885,  regarding  this  speci- 
men, and  states,  "  he  thinks  there  is  soino  mistake  about  it." 
See  also  Appendix,  p.  j8. 

Florence.  Museo  Zoologico  del  R.  Istituto  di  Studi  Superiori. 
As  to  how  this  Museum  acquired  the  skin  there  has  been 
some  dnubt,  thimgli  more  than  <me  guess  has  been  h.izarded. 
The  following  extract  from  a  letter,  dated  6th  October  1884, 
sent  to  the  author  by  Professor  Llurico  H.  Giglioli  seems  to 
decide  the  matter: — "The  siiecimen  we  have  mounted  is  in 
excellent  condition,  and  in  all  this  Museum  possesses  of  Alca 


No. 


Authority. 


oor 
I 


Herr  W.  Preyer. 

Cabanis. 

Herr  W.  Preyer. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Mr.  R.  Charapley. 

Sclater. 

Prof.  W.  Blasius. 

Mr.  R.  M.  Smith. 


Mr.  R.  Champlcy. 


il' 


RECORDED  SKINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


Bt 


SKINS — continued. 


Country. 


Italy- 
contimud. 


Norway. 
Portugal. 

Russia. 

Sweden. 


Switzer- 
land. 


United 
States. 


Place  and  Collection. 


impennis.  I  can  add  now  what  I  was  not  able  to  tell  to  my 
friend  Professor  Blasius,  that  the  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk 
in  tliis  Museum  was  procured  through  exchbnge  from  Professor 
Sundevall  of  Stockholm."    See  Appendix,  p.  i'. 

Milan.  Collection  of  the  late  Count  Ercole  Turati.  See  Ap- 
pendix, p.  i6.    Now  acquired  for  the  Public  Museum,  Milan. 

Pisa.    Museo  Zoologica  del  Universita.    See  Appendix,  p.  20. 

Turin.    Museo  Zoologico  del  Universita.    See  Appendix,  p.  24. 

Veneria  Reale.  Private  collection  of  the  King.  Obtained  in 
1867  from  that  of  tlie  late  Pastor  Brehm.    See  Appendix,  p.  24. 

Naes,  near  Arcndal.  Collection  of  Herr  Nicolai  Aall.  See  Appen- 
dix, p.  17. 

Lisbon.    Museu  Nacional  (Sec9ao  Zoologico).     See  Appendix, 

P-  >S- 
St.  Petersburg.    Zoological  Museum  of  the  Imperial  Academy 

of  Sciences.    See  Appendix,  p.  21. 
Lund.   Zoological  Museum  of  the  University.  SeeAt)pendix,p.  15. 
Stockliolm.     In  Zoological  section  of  the  National  Museum  of 

Natural  History.    See  Appendix,  p.  22. 
Aarau.    Town  Museum.    See  Appendix,  p.  5. 

Cortaillod.     Collection  of  Captain  A.  Vouga.     Sec  Appendix,  p.  9. 
Neuchfttcl.    Museum  of  Natural  History.    See  Appendix,  p.  17. 

New  York.     Central  Park  Museum  of  Natural  History.    See 

Frontis|)iece,  also  Appendix  p.  19,  also  note,  p.  11. 
Tliere  is  said  to  be  in  tliis  Museum  tlic  faulty  skin  tliat  belonged 

at  one  time  to  Herr  Mechlenburg,  see  Reykjavik,  p.  80,  also 

under  Flensburg,  Appendix,  p.  10. 
Philadelpliia.    Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.     See  Appendix, 

p.  20. 
Pouglikeepsie.    New  York  State.  Vassar  College.   See  Appendix, 

p.  21. 
Washington.    Smithsonian  Institute.    See  Appendix,  ]>.  24. 


No. 


lor 
o 

I 

I 

2 


Authority. 


Mr.  R.  Champley. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Mr.  R.  Champley. 
Prof.  A.  Newton, 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

C.  F.  Brandt. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

1)       11  n 

Dr.  ;.  Michalielles. 

Mons.  Victor  Fatio. 
Mons.  L.  Olphe- 

Gaillard. 
Mr.  R.  Champley. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 


SUMMARY  OF  SKINS. 


Country. 

Austria 

Belgium 

Britisli  Isles         .... 

Denmark 

France 

Germany 20 

Holland 2 

Iceland o  or  i 

Italy S 


No. 

4 

2 

22 

3 
8 


Country. 

Norway 
Portugal 
Russia    . 
Sweden  . 
Switzcr'nnd    , 
United  States 


No. 
I 
I 
I 
3 

3       , 
5  or  6 


Total, 


79  or  8l 


(For  ligures  of  stufl'ed  Skins  of  Great  Auk,  see  Frontispiece,  also  p.  68.) 

(For  remarks  regarding  what  should  be  the  attitude  given  to  stuB'ed  Great  Auk  Skins, 

see  Appendix  VI.) 


»»Sk>- 


I' 


83 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


% 


I     : 


^M '' 


m 


■hi 

i  V 


SKELETONS. 


Country. 

British 
lules. 


France. 

Germany, 
Italy. 


United 

States. 


Placo  nnd  Collection. 


No. 


Cambridge.  Collection  of  Professor  A.  Newton  nnd  his  brother, 
Mr.  E.  Newton.  Tliis  skeleton  was  imperfect,  and  was  prepared 
from  a  mummy  got  on  Funk  Island  in  1863  (see  p.  28).  It  is 
described  by  Professor  Owen  (Transactions  of  Zoological  Society, 
vol.  V.  pp.  317-335,  pis.  li.  Hi.)  More  recently  it  has  been  made 
perfect,  or  nearly  perfect,  with  bones  from  the  extremities  of 
tlie  stuffed  skin  in  the  University  Museum  of  Zoology. 

London.  British  Museum.  Tliis  skeleton  is  very  perfect.  It 
was  obtained  from  the  mummy  Great  Auk  sent  from  Funk 
Island  in  1864.    See  pages  6  anil  28. 

London.  British  Museum,  Palaeontological  Department,  South 
Kensington.  Tliere  is  in  this  collection  a  skeleton  which  has 
been  recently  constructed  from  bones  that  belong  to  the  collec- 
tion made  by  Professor  John  Milne  nt  Funk  Island.  This 
skeleton  is  tolerably  perfect.     See  page  100. 

London.  Koyal  College  of  Surgeons.  This  skeleton  is  of  old 
date,  and  probably  belonged  to  Mr.  John  Hunter,  from  whom 
tl:e  Huntcrian  Collection  derives  its  name.  It  has  been  pre- 
wired from  a  complete  body — perhaps  from  an  old  dried-up 
specimen  which  at  one  time  was  the  property  of  the  Koyal 
Society.    This  skeleton  is  very  perfect. 

London.  Collection  of  Lord  Lilford.  This  skeleton  was  con- 
structed from  bones  collected  at  Funk  Island  in  1874  by 
Professor  John  Milne.  It  is  at  pr(!sent  at  the  rooms  of  the 
Ornithological  Union,  6  Tenterden  Street,  but  in  all  proba- 
bility will  go  from  there  to  the  mansion  of  hia  lordship,  Lilford 
Hall,  Ounule,  Northnniptonshiro. 

Paris.  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes. 
This  is  a  very  perfect  specimen.  It  is  of  old  date,  nnd  was 
probably  prepared  from  a  fresh  corpse  from  Newfoundland. 

Dresden.  Uoyal  Zoological  Museum.  Constructed  from  bones 
obtained  at  Funk  Island  in  1874,  by  Professor  John  Milne. 

Milan.  I'rivate  collection  of  the  late  Count  Ercole  Turati,  now 
in  the  Public  Museum.  Constructed  from  bones  collected  at 
Funk  Island  in  1874,  l)y  Professor  John  Milne. 

Boston.  Harvard  University  Museum.  These  two  skeletons 
were  prepared  from  mummy  Great  Auks  obtained  at  Funk 
Island  during  1864.     See  p.  29. 


Authority. 


Prof.  A.  No-.4on. 


ft  tt 

Mr.  Ed.  Gerrard, 


Prof.  A,  Newton, 
Lord  Lilford. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Prof.  Wh.  Blasius. 
ft       II        II 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 


DETACHED  BONES. 


Country. 

Pliice  and  Collection, 

n 

a 

Authority. 

British 
Isles. 

If 

Cambridge.  Collection  of  Prof.  A.  Newton  and  his  brother,  Mr. 
E.  Newton.  Hones  of  at  least  ci^'ht  individuals,  found  in 
kitchen-middens  in  Iceland  by  the  Tate  Mr.  WoUey  and  Prof. 
A.  Newton.    Ibis,  1S61,  pp.  394-396. 

Edinburgh.  Museum  of  Science  and  Art.  Three  perfect  or  nearly 
ncrfect  Imhics  ami  four  fragments  (all  roproscnting  ditlerent 
bones)  that  may  have  belonged  to  more  tlian  one  bird.  These 
remains  were  obtained  by  the  author  during  the  excavations 
at  Caistcal-nan-(!illean,  Oronsay,  and  inesented  by  him  to  the 
Museum  with  the  consent  of  Maior-General  Sii  J.  C.  M'Ncill, 
V.C.    Seep.  S3. 

8 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

(I 


RECORDED  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


83 


Country. 


British 

Isles — 

continued. 


DETACHED  BO^ES— continued. 


Place  and  Collection. 


Edinburgh.  Museumof  Science  and  Art.  Some  bones  representing 
possibly  more  tliau  one  individual.  The  bones  were  obtained 
by  Professor  J.  Milne  at  Funk  Island,  and  we  do  not  count 
tliem  among  the  remains  here,  as  they  are  included  in  the 
total  of  the  remains  collected  by  Professor  J.  Milne  at  Funk 
Island  in  1874.    See  p.  85. 

Edinburgh.  One  fragment  of  a  left  humerus  at  present  in  the 
possession  of  the  author.  This  is  the  bone  of  a  distinct  Great 
Auk  from  that  mentioned,  p.  82  (Edinburgh).     See  p.  ^3. 

Edinburgh.  One  bone,  perfect  or  nearly  perfect,  and  six  frag- 
ments. There  is  also  another  bone  wliich  is  said  to  have 
belonged  to  the  Great  Auk,  but  it  does  not  appear,  so  far  as 
we  know,  to  have  been  identified  with  certainty.  These  bones 
were  all  collected  during  the  excavations  at  Caisteal-nan- 
Gillean,  Oronsay,  by  Mr.  W.  Galloway,  who  exhibited  them 
at  the  International  Fisheries  Exhibition,  London,  1883. 
These  remains  represent  ut  least  three  specimens. 

During  part  of  the  summer  (1884),  Mr.  \V.  Galloway  was  exca- 
vating at  a  second  shell-mound  on  Oronsay,  and  in  a  com- 
munication to  Mr.  Alexander  Galletly  states  thiit  among 
other  remains  he  has  discovered  a  coracoid  bone  of  Alca 
impennis.  It  is  just  possible  that  when  this  mound  is  fully 
explored  more  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  may  be  found,  but 
at  present  there  is  only  this  bone  to  record. 

Edinburgh.  National  Museum  of  Antiquities.  Three  perfect  or 
nearly  perfect  bones,  and  three  fragments.  These  remains 
were  discovered  by  the  late  Mr.  Samuel  Laing  during  some 
excavations  at  the  Birkle  Hill  Kist,  Keiss,  Caitliness-sliirc. 
Vol.  i.  N.S.  "Proceedings  Scot.  Society  of  Antiquaries," 
PP-  78,  79.  See  also  figs.  pp.  44,  45.  The  above  bones  have 
belonged  to  at  least  two  birds.    Seen  by  author. 

London.  Koyal  College  of  Surgeons  Museum.  One  fragiient, 
the  anterior  portion  of  the  sternum  of  a  Great  Auk,  obtained 
by  Air.  (now  Dr.)  Joseph  Anderson  (keeper  of  the  Scottish 
National  Museum  of  Antimiities),  at  the  Harbour  Mound, 
Keiss,  Caithness-shire.  "  Proceedings  Scottish  Society  of 
Antiquaries,"  vol.  i.  N.S.  p.  81. 

One  cranium,  which  is  believed  to  be  very  old.  It  is  supposed  to 
be  mentioned  by  Mr.  Neheniiah  Grew  as  far  back  as  16S1.  He 
refers  to  a  dried  Penguin,  of  which  this  is  thought  to  be  the 
Iiend  (Museum  Uegalis  Societatis,  London,  1681,  pp.  71,  72). 

Some  bones  obtained  at  Funk  Island  by  Professor  John  Milne  in 
1874,  are  preserved  in  this  Museum,  but  are  not  here  enume- 
rated, OS  tlicv  are  included  in  total  at  p.  85. 

Mr.  Edward  Bldwcll,  Fonnereou  House,  Twickenham,  has  re- 
cently puiclmsed  some  of  the  bones  got  on  Funk  Island  by  Pro- 
fessor Milne  that  were  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  E.  Gerrard,  jun., 
enumerated  at  p.  85. 

Some  beaks,  leg  liones,  &c.,  that  belong  to  Professor  Milne's 
find  at  Funk  Island  are  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Edward 
Gerrard,  inn,,  31  College  Place,  Cumden  Town,  N.W.  They 
are  included  in  the  total  at  p.  85. 

Some  bones  of  Aim  impennis  are  mentioned  as  having  been  used 
to  illustrate  an  Ostcological  Lecture  by  a  Mr.  Blyth.  For 
particulars  see  p.  loi. 


li 


»a 


oor 
I 


Authority. 


Mr.  Alex.  Galletly. 


The   late   Dr.   J. 
Alex.  Smith. 


The  late  Dr.  J. 
Alex.  Smith. 


Prof.  H.  Flowers. 


Mr.  E.  Bidwcll. 


Mr.   E.   GeiTard, 
jun. 

Prof,  A.  Newton. 


J 


a  .  ^ 


•I; 

r:  i 

I"     t     ' 


i.:;^ 


B^.l 


84 


r//£  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


DETACHED  BONES— Con«n?/erf. 


CouDtry, 


British 

Isles — 
continued. 


Denmark. 


Faroe. 


Place  and  Collection. 


Newcnstle-on-Tyne.  Museum  of  Natiiral  History  Society.  One 
upper  mandible,  discovered  among  remains  from  a  cave  at 
tfie  Whitburn  Lizards,  County  Durham.    See  fifjnre,  p.  64. 

Two  crania  and  the  wing  and  leg-bones  of  two  birds,  are  bones 
that  were  extracted  from  the  two  skins  in  the  Museum  by  the 
skill  of  Mr.  J.  Hancock. 

Waddon.  In  the  collection  of  Mr.  Crowley  there  are  some  bones 
recently  bought  from  Mr.  Edward  Gerrard,  jun.  They  belong 
to  the  collection  made  on  Funk  Island  by  Professor  J.  Milne, 
enumerated  at  p.  85. 

York.  In  the  museum  are  seven  hones  that  were  purchased 
some  time  ago  from  Mr.  Edward  Gerrard,  jun.,  London. 
They  are  part  cf  Professor  Milne's  find  on  Funk  Island,  and 
enumerated  at  y.  85. 

Most  of  the  bones  of  the  Great  Auks  that  are  preserved  in 
Denmark  are  in  the  Royal  University  Zoological  Museum, 
Copenhagen,  but  a  few  are  in  private  collections  in  the  pro- 
vinces ;  and  when  we  are  not  quite  certain  of  the  places  at 
which  the  different  collections  are  now  to  be  found,  we 
do  not  mention  any  locality.  For  most  of  the  information 
regarding  the  Danish  .'emains  we  are  indebted  to  Professor 
J.  Steenstrup. 

Bones  of  two  individuals  found  in  an  ancient  kitcben-midden  at 
Meilgaard,  in  Jutland.  Two  right  humeri  and  a  radius  from 
tho  right  side  of  an  old  bird,  slightly  injured  at  the  ends. 
Obtained  by  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  during  1855. 

One  right  humerus  from  an  ancient  kitchen-midden  at  Havelse, 
in  Seeland  (situated  at  the  southern  part  of  the  Issefjord). 
Obtained  by  Ilerr  Feddersen  during  1856. 

Bones  representing  part  of  the  remains  of  three  individuals  from 
an  ancient  kitctien-middcn  at  Gudunilund,  some  English 
miles  south  of  tlic  Linif  jord  in  .Futlisnd,  discovered  during  1873. 

Remains  representing  tliree  individuals  from  an  ancient  kitcben- 
midden  at  Sdlager  in  Seeland  (situated  at  the  northern  part  of 
the  Issefjord),  discovered  during  1873. 

Some  bones  from  Fanneiup,  not  far  from  Meilgaard  in  Jutland  ; 
but  we  have  Iwen  imablc  to  ascertain  how  many  individuals 
they  represent  or  the  year  they  were  got. 

One  nearly  complete  cranium,  regarding  which,  on  i6th  March 
1885,  Professor  Steenstrup  has  kindly  sent  us  the  following 
information: — "The  origin  of  this  CrauiuMi  has  evidently 
been  misunderstood  by  Professor  Rlasius  from  what  he  says 
in  his  recent  paijcr  ('Zur  Geschichte  dcr  Uetericste  von 
A/fa  inipeiinis,  Linn.,  p.  140'),  It  is  of  more  recent  date 
still,  as  belonging  to  the  invcntarium  of  the  Royal  Kunst- 
kammer,  it  dates  back  more  than  a  century." 

Two  crania  and  other  bones  representing  several  individuals,  per 
haps  five  or  six,  sent  from  Punk  Island,  ofV  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland, by  the  late  Herr  P.  Stuvitz.     See  p.  34. 

The  winjj-lwnes  and  metatarsus  that  were  taken  from  a  stuffed 
skin  in  tho  Zoological  Museum  of  the  Royal  University, 
Copenhagen.    See  p.  34. 

Island  of  Sandoe.  When  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  visited  Fariie  in 
1844,  he  heard  of  a  (Jreat  Auk's  head  that  was  juescrved  on 
Saudoe,  but  wheu  Mr,  WoUey  was  at  Fariie  in  1858  he  could 


It 


&s 


5  or 
6 


oor 
I 


Authority. 


Mr.  John  Hancock. 


I)  fi 


Mr.  E.  BidweU. 


Prof.   J.  Steens- 
trup. 


IU£.JtJ^ 


RECORDED  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


8S 


DETACHED  BOltiES -continued. 


Country. 


Faroe. 

continued. 

France, 


Germany. 


riace  and  Collection. 


Newfound 
land. 


Norway, 


United 
States. 


find  no  trace  of  it.    However,  we  mention  the  circumstance, 
as  it  is  just  nosaible  it  may  yet  be  found.    See  p,  lo. 

Caen,  Normandy.  There  is  preserved  here  an  imperfect  cranium, 
wliicli  belonged  to  the  find  of  Professor  J.  Milne  got  at  Funk 
Ishind  in  1874.  Tliis  bone  was  bought  by  Professor  de  Long- 
champ.  It  is  included  in  total  of  remains.  See  below,  New- 
foundland. 

Berlin.  Koyal  Zooloi;ical  Museum.  There  are  in  this  insti- 
tution tlie  bones  iif  several  Great  Auks  tliat  were  brought 
by  Professor  J.  Milne  from  Funk  Island  in  1874.  We  include 
them  in  total.    See  below,  Newfoundland. 

Brunswick.  There  arc  preserved  in  the  Ducal  Museum  of  Natural 
History  a  number  of  bones  from  Funk  Island  that  were 
bought  in  London  in  1881,  and  doubtless  are  some  of  those 
found  at  that  island  by  Professor  J.  Milne  in  1874.  These 
Iwnes  may  belong  to  one  individual.  Tliey  are  included  in 
the  total.    See  below,  Newfoundland 

Darmstadt. 

cranium  ui  mu  inmaiiou  specimen  m  tins  collection  is  genuine, 
See  p.  79,  also  p.  113. 

Professor  J.  Milne,  during  his  visit  to  Funk  Island  in  1874, 
obtained  remains  that  liave  belonged  to  about  llfty  Great 
Auks,  and  tliese  bones  are  now  scattered  among  museums  and 
private  collections.  In  the  foi  egoiiig  lists  wo  have  endeavoured 
to  avoid  enumerating  any  of  those  bones,  as  we  give  the  total 
here ;  but  we  have  mentioned  tlie  existence  of  some  of  them 
in  several  collections.     See  pa},'0  loi. 

Christiania.  University  Museum.  Bones  of  several  individuals 
sent  from  Funk  Island  by  the  late  Ilorr  P.  Stuvitz. 

Bones  sent  liome  from  Funk  Island  by  Herr  P.  .Stuvitz,  but  only 
recorded  for  tlio  first  time  during  1884.     See  p.  100. 

Some  bones  representing  at  least  seven  ditl'erent  Great  Auks 
found  at  Mount  Desert  and  Crouches  Cave  in  Maine,  and 
sliell-heaps  near  Ipswich  in  Massachusetts.  J.  Wyiuan,  "Am. 
Nat."  i.  pp.  574-578.  We  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  where 
these  bones  are  at  present  preserved. 


>^S 


Grand  Ducal  Cabinet  of  Natural  Ilistoiy.    Tlie 
of  the  imitation  specimen  in  this  collection  is  genuine. 


Authority. 


8  or 
10 
20 

or  23 
7 


Prof,  J,  Milne, 


Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Prof.  R.  Collett. 
Ffof.  A.  Ne^vton. 


'i' 


SUMMARY  OF  SKELETONS. 


British  Isles    , 
France 
Germany 
Italy     . 
United  States 


Total 


. 


il^': 


rl^ 


86 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


NUMBER  OF  GREAT  AUKS  REI'RESEJfTED  BY  DETACHED  BONES. 


British  Isles     •  .  .  ,  , 

Denmarli  .  . 

Faroe    .....'[ 

France  (under  Newfoundland) 

Germany  (\md\y  under  Newfoundland)        '. 

Newfoundland  (remains  collected  by  Professor  J 

Milne,  less  four  skeletons) 
Norwav 
United' States  .  .  ".  "  ' 


21  or  22 

17  or  19 

oor  I 

o 

I 


about  45  or  50 
about  30  or  31 


about  i2i  or  131 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATE  IX. 
All  the  bones  are  drawn  of  natural  size. 

b.ln!'^;  l'^?T]  :f  "^7- «''°^^'"  '"  't«  <!"'■«'««»  faces  :-(.)  «de  view.  (2)  fr^m  above,  (3)  from 
below,  (4)  in  front,  (5)  from  behind.  '  ^^' 

innJ'rSgt^'  "^^^  ""*'"'  ''"  ""'"""''^  '"  """"  "^P"''«=-(^'  «'''«"°'.  (7)  interior,  (S)  its  antero- 
Fig.  9.  Upper  moiety  of  right  coracoid  viewed  from  the  front  and  inside. 
Figs   ,c^,4.  DifTercnt  views  of  the  right  humerus  :-(.o)  posterior  surface,  (i,)  anterior  surface 

(12)  e.xtemal  front  edge,  (,3)  superior  condyloid  extremity,  (14)  inferior  condyloid  extremity. 
Fig.  15.  Distal  segment  of  left  humerus. 

Figs.  ,6-19.  DifTerent  views  of  the  distal  end  of  the  right  tibia  :-(,6)  interior.  (17)  «,sterior 
(18)  anterior,  and  (19)  the  inferior  face.  "'"r,  (17;  iwster.or 


*- 


I. 

! 


,iNN  lSoc.Jdi/hn.Zooi.  Voi.  XVIIlH. 


■  4- 


l^ 


DrTir'tU  Itllx. 


BONKS  OF  i;ke.at  ai;k,,u-.vix<. 


lidni.aj't,  J.'lifj. 


ih 


rf 


j 

i'.i 

ml 

i 

I 

I     ' 


[1; 

1  !, 

■  i 

1  ,: 

1 

i     ! 

i 

) 

1 

i  I  ■ 

'!l 


f.  ;.• 


RECORDED  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


87 


Country. 


Deumark. 


Italy. 
Geriuauy. 


PHYSIOLOGICAL  PREPARATIONS. 


Fluco  and  Collection. 


Copen  mKeii.  Royal  University  Zoological  Museum.  Kemains 
of  tlio  liiHt  two  CJreat  Auks  killed  011  Eldey,  Icolanil,  at  the 
beginning  of  June  1844,  preserved  as  physiological  prepara- 
tions. In  a  letter  dated  2Stli  August  1883,  Professor  /  Steen- 
striip  says  "  lo  whom  the  skins  of  these  two  individuals,  the 
iiist  killed  of  all,  were  sold  I  do  not  exactly  know.  Thev 
are  male  and  female  (<J  ?)."  In  another  communication  he 
says,  Iheso  specimens  were  skinned,  and  the  skins  sold" 
(letter  of  1  ith  September  1884). 

Florence.    See  p.  97. 

Hamburg.  A  specimen  in  spirit  sold  about  i840or  1841,  by  Herr 
h.  .Iacob.son  to  Hen-  Selnmg  of  this  town,  or  to  Mr.  Janirach, 
the  well-known  dealer.    Seep.  102.- 


Authority. 


Prof.  J.  Stcen- 
atrup. 


o 
I 

or 
o 


iProf.  A.  Newton. 


EGGS. 


Country. 


British 
Isles. 


Plaoo  and  Collection. 


Brighton.    1  ho  collection  of  the  late  Mr.  Ceorge  Hawstm  Rowlev 

now  in  the  possession  of  his  son,   Mr.   U.  Kydell  Uowley.' 

Chichester  House,  East  Olilf,  Urighton.     See  Appendix,  p.  26 

Canibrul^o     Collection  of  I'rofessor  A.  Newton  and  his  brother, 

air.  K  Newton.    See  Appendix,  p.  26. 
Clungunfoid  House.  Astonon-Clnn,  Shropsliiro.    Collection  of 
trie  Into  Mr.  JSocke,  now  in  possession  of  Mrs.  Kocke.    See 
Appendix,  p.  26. 
Croydon,  Surrey.     Collection  of  Mr.  Alfred  Crowley,  Waddon 

House.  .See  Appendix,  p.  27. 
Edinburgh  Museum  of  Science  and  Art.  The  two  beautiful 
eggs  in  tins  Museum  formed  part  of  an  extensive  collection 
of  Natural  History  Objects,  wliich  were  purchased  by  some 
members  of  t  10  Senatus  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh  in 
I8I9.  Ihis  collection  was  afterwards  acquired  by  tlie  Senatus 
Z!i  w^i'i '""'/"  '1^5  >vas  transfen-ed  by  them  to  the  Science 
and  Art  I)ei)artmont.  The  collection  was  bought  principally 
on  account  of  the  stufled  birds  it  contained.  "The  catalogue 
which  accompanied  the  collection  is  complete  in  most  "re- 
spects, but  strangely  contains  no  mention  of  any  eggs.  It  is 
entitled  '  Cata  ogue  dcs  collections  d'objets  d'HistoTro  Natlle 
forniaut  le  Cabinet  de  Mons.  Ls.  Dufresne,  Naturaliste  au 
Jardin  du  Koi,  Pads    ,815."    For  further  particulars,  see 

ir-.'  i  ^°^i,,  •••'I'"."''"'  I'l'i'L^s,  p.  loS,  also  Appendix,  p.  28. 

Hitchin,  Hci;ff„rdshii-o.    Collection  of  Mr.  Tuk'e.    See  .(pp.,  p.  28 

Liverpool.     The  Miisonm.     See  Appendix,  p.  29.  ^i'l>;P-2S. 

London.    ISatui-al  History  Department,  British  Museum.    See 
Appendix,  p.  29. 

London,     lioyal  College  of  Surgeons,  Hunteiian  Jluseum.    See 
Appendix,  p.  29. 

^'' Twi'i  '^'?"'-'«''""  ,»?  Mr.  Edward  Uidwell  of  Fonncrcau  House, 

iNuckenham      This  egg  has  recently  been  purchased  fron 

he  sister  of    ho  late  Rev.  Goorgo  W.  Braikenridgo  of  Clcve- 

don,  bonierset.  For  further  particulars,  see  App.,  pf  .  29  and  34. 


No. 


Authority. 


Prof.  A.  Newton 

and 
Prof.  W.  Blasius. 
Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Prof.  \V.  Blasius. 

Prof.  W.  Blasius. 

Major  H.  W. 
I'ielden. 


Mr.  R.  Champley. 
II  11 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Mr.  E.  Bidwell. 


1. 


88 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


EGGS — continued. 


wm 


I 


i!  II 


i  81 


1 1|  4 
It 


•  '■■ }  I 


Country. 


British 

Isles — 

continued. 


Plac«  and  Collection. 


Denmark. 


France. 


London.  Collection  of  tlio  lato  Lord  (!ftrvaj;li,  now  believed  to 
bo  in  the  posHesHion  of  tlie  DowiiKor  Lady  (jarva^li.  This  ejjf; 
i.H  ono  of  tlioHi;  whicli  liis  late  lordslii])  boiiuht  in  iS5^  from 
Mr.  T.  H.  I'otts,  now  of  Uliinitahi,  New  Zeiuand.  It  is  said 
to  have  boon  broken  lhronii;li  the  carelessness  of  a  footman, 
and  after  the  death  of  Lord  (iarva^di  was  olfored  to  the  late 
Mr.  (.;.  I).  ItowloVi  alonji  with  the  two  whole  ejn^tt  which  that 
gentleman  is  said  to  have  purchased  from  the  llowa},'or  Lady 
(tarvngh,  but  as  this  specimeu  was  in  a  broken  state,  Mr. 
Kowley  ileclined  to  buy  it.     See  Appendi.x,  p.  29. 

London.  Collection  of  Lonl  Lilford.  There  are  here  live  egj,'s. 
The  lir.st  four  of  these  are  inentioncil  in  Appendix  at  p.  29  ; 
but  the  lifth  has  been  purcliased  quite  recently  by  his  lord- 
ship in  Uorwotshire,  and  is  said  to  be  unrecorded.  See  Ap- 
]>endi.\,  p.  29. 

London.  Collection  of  Mr.  G.  L.  UussoU.  See  Appendix, 
p.  30. 

London.  There  was  in  the  collection  of  a  Mr.  .Scales  an  Pita 
referred  to  by  Professor  A.  Newton,  {this,  1861,  p.  387);  but 
this  eijji  has  been  lost  sight  of  since  1866.  On  4th  December 
1884  Professor  A.  Newton  wrote  to  Professor  Wli.  Blasius  of 
lirunswick,  informing  him  tbat  Mr.  Scales  died  at  Krighton 
in  September  18S4,  aged  90.  The  son  of  the  deceased  in- 
formed Professor  Newton  that  the  egg  was  destroyed  by  fire 
some  twelve  ;\ears  ago.  There  are  plaster  casts  of  this  ejjq.; 
in  tlie  collections  of  Professor  Newton  and  Mr.  J.  Hancock! 
See  Appendix,  p.  30. 

Newcastle-on-Tyne,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  John  Hancock, 
which  he  lias  recently  presented  to  the  Museum  of  the 
Natural  History  .Society  of  Xortlmniberland,  Durham,  and 
Newr'astle-on-Tyne.    See  Api>endix,  p.  30. 

Nunappleton,  York.Hhire.  Collection  of  Sir  Frederick  Milner, 
Hart.     .See  p.  104  ;  also  Appendix,  p.  31. 

O.xford,  University  Museum  of  Natural  History.    See  Appendix, 

P-  3i- 
Papplewick,  Notts.    Collection  of  Mr.  Walter.    See  Appendix, 

p.  3>- 

Poltalloch,  Lochgilphead,  Argjlcshirc.  Ccdlection  of  John  Mal- 
colm, Escp  See  p.  103,  also  Appendix,  p.  32.  Professor 
Newton  informs  ns  that  he  has  possessed  u  drawing  of  this 
egg  for  some  years.    In  letter  lytti  September  1884. 

Keigato,  Surrey,  in  the  collection  of  Mrs.  Wise  (Mr.  .1.  WoUey  in 
M.S.)    See  Appendix,  p.  32. 

Scarborou'di,  Yorkshire,  Museum  of  Natural  History.  See 
Ai)pendix,  o.  33. 

Scarborough,  Yorkshire.  Collection  of  Mr.  U.  Cliainpley.  See 
Appendix,  p.  33. 

Wavinilon  Ueetciry,  by  Wobnrn,  Hedfordshirc.  Collection  of  Rev. 
Henry  liurney.  Tills  is  a  fine  and  perfect  specimen.  See 
Appendix,  n.  34. 

Copenhagen,  lloyal  University  Zoological  Museum.  In  a  letter 
dated  4th  Pebniary  1S85,  I'rofessor  J.  .Steenstrnp  informs  us 
that  they  liavo  bad  a  splendid  lignre  of  this  e;ig  drawn  by  a 
very  good  artist,  a  Mr.  Tliornam.     Sec  Appendix,  p.  28. 

Angers.  Collection  of  Count  do  Uarace.  Sec  Appendix,  p.  25, 
see  p.  104. 

Angers.    Muscc  de  la  Villc.    See  Appendix,  p.  25. 


No. 


Authority. 


Mr.  U.  Champley. 


Prof.  A.  Newton,  i. 
Mr.  R.  Gray,  2, 
Prof.  W.  Rlaaius,  i, 
Mr.  E.  Uidwell,  i. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 


Mr.  R.  Champley. 

Prof.  W.  Blasius. 

}f  It 

Mr.  R.  Champley. 
Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 
Mr.  R.  Champley. 

It  It 

Prof.  A.  Newton. 

Prof.  J.  Steenstrnp, 

Mr.  U.  Chaniitley. 
Prof.  Wh.  Blasius. 


.i,.    ',. 


] 


RECORDED  REMAINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


89 


EGGS — continued. 


Country. 


France— 
continued. 


Gerniatiy. 


Holland. 


New 

Zealuiul. 

I'ortu^'iil. 

Itusiiia. 

Switzer- 
land. 
United 
Status. 


Pliet  and  Cullcctlan. 


No. 


Uoimifs-leH-Dnukcrque.  Collection  of  M.  De  Meozoinnker.  See 
Appendix,  p.  25.  On  tlie  iHt  October  1861,  Mons.  Do  Mcezc- 
maker  wrote  Mr.  K.  Chanipluy  a.s  follows  :—"  Those  en(js 
were  l)ronglit,  in  wliat  year  I  cannot  lind  out,  by  tlio  captain 
of  a  wlialiiig  vcshcI,  who  i^ave  tlieni  in  u  present  to  a  merchant 
of  this  town  (llerniies),  wlio  i,'ave  them  to  a  yonng  man  wlio 
was  commencing  a  collection  of  cggft,  which  t  acqnircd  after 
his  death." 

Dieppe.  Collection  do  M.  Hardy  in  the  Mns(^c  do  la  Ville.  See 
Appendix,  p.  27. 

Mnnoiivillo,  Meurthc  et  Moselle.  Collection  of  liaron  Louis 
d'Hainouvillc.    See  Appendix,  p.  30. 

Paris.  Mnseum  of  Natural  History,  .fardin  des  Plantcs.  See 
Appendix,  ji.  31.  At  a  niceiin},'  of  the  Uerman  Natural 
History  Societies,  held  at  Ma^jdebnr;,'  on  22d  September 
18S4,  Professor  Wh.  Hlasiiis  mentioned  that  two  e^gs  of  Alca 
impennis,  that  were  previously  stated  to  be  in  the  Natural 
History  Museum  at  Piiri.s,  did  not  appear  to  be  there  now,  as 
Herr  Bergcr,  merchant  at  WItleii,  had  written  him  saying 
that  he  was  there  this  sumnur  (1S84),  and  that  ho  did  not 
find  them  in  the  Mnseum,  and  that  they  were  unknown  to 
the  otiicials.  It  is  inobable  they  nuiy  bo  in  the  Lyceum  at 
Versailles,  where  tliey  were  known  to  be  originally. 

Veraaillea.    See  Paris.    See  Ajipondix,  p.  32. 

Breslau.  Collection  of  Count  Ilodern.  See  Appendix,  p.  25. 
Dresden.  Itoval  Zoolojjical  Museum.  See  Appendix,  p.  27. 
Diisseldorf.  Museum  Ldbbcckeanum.  See  Aiipeudix,  p.  27. 
Oldenburg.      tirand-Ducal  Museum  of  Natuial  History.     See 

Appendix,  p.  31. 
Amsterdam.     Aluseum  of  Zoological  Society.     See  Ap.,  p.  24. 
Leyden.     Zoological  Museum.     See  Appendix,  p,  29. 

The  following  letter  referring  to  this  egg  is  of  interest : — 

"Lkyukn,  :<)th  Fcbnuirij  1S60. 
"Deau  Sir,— According  to  your  re(|Uest,  I  have  the  pleasure 
of  sending  you  here  enclosed  a  drawing  (natural  size)  of  the 
egg  of  the  (.ireat  Auk  (.lAv;  iiiijiciiiiin),  being  for  the  moment 
the  only  specimen  in  the  jmssession  of  our  Museum.  The 
second  one  was,  a  few  months  ago,  presented  to  the  Koyal 
Zoological  Society  at  Amsterdam.  Both  eggs  were  procured 
from  a  !•' reach  whaler  in  the  beginninj' of  the  century. 
"  Tu  U.  ClIAMl'LliY,  Ehii,  "From  H.  ScHl.Er.F-L, 

Scarborough.  Director  of  the  Hoyal  Museum 

of  Natural  Hi^^tory  of  tlic 


Ohinitabi,  Canterbury.     Collection 


Netherlands.' 
of  Mr.   T.  H.  Potts. 


See 


Lisbon.    The  .Museu  Xacional  (Sec(,'aoZooIogico).   See  Aji.,  p.  29. 
St.  I'etersburg.     See  p.  1 10. 

Lausanne.     Museum  of  Natural  History.     See  Appendix,  p.  28. 

Philadelphia.  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences.  There  is  certainly 
one  e;.'g  preserved  in  this  Iiistitulii)ii,  but  it  is  just  possible 
there  may  be  two.     .See  Appendix,  p.  32. 

Washington.  Smilbsimian  Institution.  See  Appendix,  p.  34, 
and  (under  Philadelpliia)  p.  32. 


Autborltj. 


Mons.  Leon  Olphe- 
Gaillard. 


Mr.  K.  Chauipley. 


I     Prof.  Wh.  Blasius. 

I  or   M.  Des  Murs,  i. 
3   I  Prof.  A.  Newton,  a. 


2  or 
o 
I 
I 


Mr.  K.  Champley. 


Prof.  Wh.  Blasius. 
I   j  Cabanis. 

Mr.  U.  Champley. 


Mr.  T.  H .  Potts. 

I      Mr.  Ph.  L.  Sclater. 
2  or 
o 
I      M.  Victor  Patio. 

I    i  Prof.  A.  Newton. 


I      Prof.  A.  Newtim. 
M 


P' 

i 

^^4 


!|    » 


\W]  :>  ^ 


90 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Conntrv. 
Britisli  Isles 
Denmark    . 
France 
Oerninny     . 
Holland 
New  Zealand 


SUMMARY  OF  EGGS. 

No. 

Country. 

45 

rortii),'al    . 

I 

Un.isia 

II 

Switzerland 

4 

United  States    . 

2 

I 

','J 

'.Total 


No. 

I 

o  or  2 

I 

2 

68  or  70 


As  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  the  known  remains  of  the  Gare- 
fowl  may  be  totalled  as  follows : — 


Country. 

Skins. 

Phyalologieal 
l'iopar«tto]i8. 

Skeletons. 

No.  of  illi-da  Repro- 

Bontcd  l>y  Dctnclied 

Dunes. 

Egg". 

Austria . 

4 

^ 

Belginin 

British  Isles  . 

... 

Denmark 

3 

S 

2 1  or  22 

45 

Faroe     . 

1 7  or  19 

I 

Franco  . 

8 

oor    I 

Germany 
Holland 

20 

2 

oor  I 

nrded 

0  or  I 

I 

I 

II 

4 

Iceland  . 
Italy      . 

...' 

2 

Newfoundland    (uiirec 

I 

remains  collected  by 
J.  Milne).                " 

I'rof. 

New  Zealand 

al)ont  45  or  50 

Norway 

I 

Portugal 

30  or  31 

Russia  . 

.   '          I 

.    1             2 

... 

I 

Sweden . 

0  or  2 

Switzerland  . 

5  or  6 

United  States 

Total 

2 

7               1 

I 
2 

.       79  or  81    1 

2  or  3 

10 

ahont  121  or  131 

6S  or  70 

I!f..\iai!Ks  on  the  Remains. 

That  there  is  little  hope  among  natnralist.s  that  any  great  qnantitv  of  Oarefowl 
remains  may  yet  be  di.scovered  i.  clearly  evidenced  by  the  i„croasi;>g  value  put 
upon  Its  skins  bones,  and  eggs,  but  especially  the  skins  an.l  eg.s,  an.l  so  great  is 
the  des,,^  to  obtain  these  tl.at  unprincipled  persons  itave  been  "known  to  imitate 
them.  Some  of  the  bones  l,rought  from  Funk  Inland  were  sold  at  comparatively 
moderate  prices,  but  probacy  the  liritish  remains,  if  these  were  for  sale,  would 
letch  high  prices,  owing  to  their  great  rarity. 


rmmm 


mmmmsmmm 


mmmmmmmm 


GREAT  AUK  SKINS  AND  THEIR  VALUE. 


91 


Eemauks  on  Skins  and  tiieik  Value. 

During  the  last  sixty  or  seventy  years  many  sales  of  skins  have  taken  place, 
but  as  most  of  these  have  been  carried  through  privately,  it  is  only  in  a  few 
instances  that  tlie  prices  given  have  been  made  public.  It  is,  however,  interest- 
ing to  observe  the  rapid  increase  whicii  has  taken  place  in  the  value  of  such 
remains,  and  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  this  we  may  state  that  on  the  5th 
May  1819  the  skin  that  was  obtained  in  1812  from  Papa  Westra,  one  of  the 
Orkney  Islands,  and  whicli  liad  a  special  interest  as  being  of  British  origin,  was 
sold  at  Mr.  Bullock's  sale  for  £15,  5s.  Gd.  In  1832,  the  specimen  °now  at 
Neuchatel  was  bought  at  Mannheim  for  200  francs,  or  about  £8.  Two  specimens 
now  at  Muuicli  were  purchased  in  1833  for  200  llorins  (£1G,  9s.  2d.)  and  50 
tlorins  (£1,  2s.  3d.)  The  sldn  in  the  University  Museum,  Durham,  was  bought 
in  1831  or  1835  by  the  Rev.  T.  Gisborne  from  Mr.  H.  Eeid,  Doncaster,  for  £7 
or  £8  (see  Mr.  Proctor's  letter,  page  22).  There  is  now  at  Gotha,  a  skin  that 
was  purchased  in  1835  for  20  thalers  from  Frank,  a  dealer  in  zoological  wares 
at  Leipzig.  The  e.xact  date  at  whicii  the  Poltalloch  specimen  was  bought  is 
unknown,  but  was  probably  about  18 10 ;  and  it  was  purchased  in  London  from 
tlie  elder  Mr.  Leadbetter,  dealer  in  natural  history  specimens,  for  a  price  which, 
as  far  as  Mr  Malcolm,  the  purchaser,  recollects,  was  £2  or  £3. 

A  skin  now  in  Aarau,  Switzerland,  was  purchased  in  1842  or  1813  for  80 
ilorms  (£0,  ILs.  8d.)  Another  skin  now  in  Bremen  was  bought  in  1811  for  £6. 
The  last  two  specimens  of  the  Garefowl  that  were  killed  on  Eldey  at  the  begin- 
ning of  June  1811,  were  sold  before  they  reached  Eeykjavik  for  eighty  rigsbank- 
dollars,  about  £9,  or  £1,  10s.  each. 

Sixteen  years  now  elapse  without  the  price  paid  for  any  .skin  becoming  known 
to  the  public,  but  in  18G0  the  skin  now  at  Clungunford  House,  Aston-ou-Clun, 
Siiropshire,  was  obtained  by  a  dealer  in  natural  history  specimens  from  the 
Museum  of  Mainz  in  exchange  for  the  skin  of  an  Indian  ta])ir.  About  the  same 
time,  probably  during  the  .same  year,  the  late  Ilerr  Mcchlenburg  of  Tlensburg 
sold  to  Mr.  E.  Cliampley  of  Scarborough  a  skin  and  egg,  which  are  now  in  his 
collection,  and  for  which  he  paid  £15. 

It  is  stated  tliat  llerr  Mcchlenburg  also  sold  a  skin  without  feet,  and  from 
which  the  breast  plumage  was  awanting,  fur  1000  marks  Schleswig-Holstein 
currency  (=  £G0),  to  Siemsen,  a  merchant  in  Eeykjavik,  but  this  is  probably  a 


^B^^mmmm 


9» 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


hif 


i;  li 


i .-, 


,    !    ■      I 


mistake."  It  was  through  the  agency  of  the  same  Siemsen  that  numbers  of  the 
Icelandic  skins  had  been  forwarded  at  an  earlier  date  to  Ueninark.  The  specimen 
figured  (see  frontispiece),  which  is  no  ,v  preserved  in  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  Central  Park,  New  York,  and  presented  to  that  iiistitution  by 
Mr.  Ilobert  L.  Gtuart,  was  purchased  in  18G8  for  G25  dollars  gold,  which,  cal- 
culating the  value  of  each  dollar  at  4s.  2d.  sterling,  gives  a  total  value  of 
£130,  'Is.  2d.  This  skin  belonged  to  the  late  Dr.  Troughton,  who,  from  a 
remark  in  a  letter  (see  p.  lOG),  appears  to  have  bought  it  from  Mr.  Bartlett 
about  1851,  and  after  his  demise  it  was  sold  by  his  executors  to  Mr.  Cook,  a 
dealer  in  natural  history  specimens,  for  £91.  Mr.  Cook  stuffed  the  skin,  and 
then  sold  it  for  £120  to  Mr.  I).  G.  Elliot,  New  York,  from  whom  it  was  bought 
by  Mr.  Stuart  and  presented  as  above.  In  18G9  one  of  the  skins  now  in  the 
collection  of  the  late  Mr.  G.  1).  Eowley,  was  purchased  by  the  late  Mr.  G.  A. 
Frank  of  Amsterdam  for  ten  louis  d'or.' 

On  the  13th  April  1870,  Mr.  Edward  Gerrard,  junior,  wrote  to  the  authorities 
of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh,  offering  to  sell  a  skin  of  Alca 
impcnnis  for  £100.  He  said  that  he  had  seen  Mr.  Bryce  Wright,  dealer,  in 
London  the  day  previous,  and  he  wanted  £110  for  a  large  skin  of  a  Great 
Auk  which  was  in  fair  preservation ;  that  before  leaving  he  (Mr.  Gerrard)  got 
Mr.  Wright  to  agree  to  part  with  it  to  him  for  £100.  Tlie  Museum  authorities, 
after  consideration,  determined  to  decline  the  offer,  as  at  that  time  it  was  thought 
to  be  too  high  a  price  to  pay.  In  the  same  letter  is  mentioned  the  price  paid  by 
Mr.  Cook  for  the  skin  now  in  New  York.  ilr.  Gerrard  also  says  tliat  until  shortly 
prior  to  tin's  time  the  value  of  the  skins  was  £80  to  £00. 

A  number  of  skins  arc  in  private  collections,  wliere  they  are  quite  lost  to 
students  of  natural  history.  If  this  should  meet  the  eye  of  the  possessor  of  one 
(if  these,  perhaps  they  will  permit  us  to  lay  before  them  the  claims  of  the  Scottish 
National  Museum,  Chambers  Street,  Edinburgh,  which,  with  one  of  the  finest  col- 
lections of  birds  in  the  three  kingdoms,  is  still  without  a  Great  Auk  or  Garefowl. 

It  is  probable  that  a  few  skins  as  yet  unrecorded  e.xist  in  private  collections, 
and  we  may  instance  the  two  recently  brought  to  light  in  Scotland,  which  are 
tlie  only  ones  known  to  be  north  of  the  Tweed,  The  first  of  these  was  found  in 
the  Museum  of  His  Grace  tlie  iJuke  of  lioxburghe  at  Floors  Castle,  Kelso,  and 
its  discovery  in  tliat  collection  a  few  years  ago  created  much  interest  among 

"  Tills  fnulty  specimen  is  saiil  to  Ijc  now  in  the  (Viitriil  Park  Museum,  New  York  (nee  p.  HI). 
'  Kiiual  tu  about  i'!),  I89.  5d.    The  price  seems  too  muAl  for  a  skiu. 


' 


RECENT  DISCOVERIES  OF  GREAT  AUK  SKINS. 


93 


Scottish  ornithologists.  It  is  unfortunately  not  a  very  good  siiecimen,  ind  the 
appearance  of  the  skin  as  at  present  mounted  is  apt  to  convey  the  impression 
that  the  bird  had  been  half  starved ;  but  it  is  probable  tliis  is  rather  due  to  the 
taxidermist  who  stuffed  it  than  to  the  skin  itself,  and  we  venture  to  express  the 
opinion  that  in  skilful  hands  the  defect  might  be  remedied.  IJntil  about  1880 
tliis  specimen  was  only  known  to  a  very  few  individuals,  but  about  that  time  its 
existence  came  to  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  John  Gibson  of  the  Museum  of  Science 
and  Art,  Edinburgh,  who  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  permission  of  the  Duke 
of  Eoxburghe  to  have  it  recorded.  For  t'lat  purpose  it  was  brought  to  Edinburgh 
in  April  1883,  and  exhibited  at  a  meeting  of  tlie  Eoyal  Physical  Society,  held  on 
the  18th  of  that  month,  when  a  short  paper  upon  it  was  read  by  Mr.  Gibson,' 
who  thinks  it  probable  that  this  specimen  came  from  Iceland  some  time  between 
1830  and  1810,  as  it  was  during  that  period  His  Grace  the  late  Duke  made  the 
Floors  Castle  collection  of  birds,  and  it  is  also  understood  that  he  visited  Iceland. 
It  ajipears,  however,  to  be  very  uncertain  how  the  skin  came  into  the  collection ; 
and  at  our  request  Mr.  Andrew  Urother.ston,  curator  of  the  Floors  Castle  museum, 
inquired  of  His  Grace  the  present  Duke,  and  the  following  is  a  short  extract  from 
a  letter  on  the  subject  received  from  Mr.  Brotherston,  dated  20th  June  1882  :— 
"I  was  at  Floors  to-day,  and  saw  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Eoxburghe.  He 
is  uncertain  about  the  history  of  the  Great  Auk,  but  has  an  impression  that 
his  father  bought  it  in  Edinburgh."  In  answer  to  more  recent  inquiries,  Mr. 
Brotherston  writes  us,  under  date  0th  September  1881: — "I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  anything  more  about  the  Great  Auk  at  Floors." 
Professor  A.  Newton  has  informed  Professor  W.  P.lasius  that  he  conjectures  this 
skin  was  bought  from  a  London  dealer  (see  Ajipendix,  p.  11). 

We  believe  tliat  it  was  Mr.  P.rotlierston  wlio  was  the  first  to  call  attention  to 
this  specimen,  and  it  was  from  him  that  Mr.  Gibson  heard  of  it.  It  is  unfortunate 
tliat  so  little  is  known  of  its  history.  The  only  words  written  on  its  stand  are 
— "  Great  Auk— Male," 

Mr.  Gibson,  in  his  paper  referred  to,  says—"  Tlie  bird  is  an  adult  male  in  full 
summer  plumage— the  following  being  its  princi]ial  .'.imcnsions ; 


Length  from  tip  of  l)ill  to  ond  of  tail 
„  of  tail ..... 
„  of  tarsus  .... 
„  of  wing  .... 
,,       of  bill  doi'sally 


IncheB. 

34i 
3" 

^ 


I 


!  i 


94 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Length  of  gapo 

„       of  bill  from  nostrils 
„       Depth  of  bill 


Inclios. 

4i 
2? 
H 


"  There  are  seven  ridges  on  the  upper,  and  eleven  (two  of  them  indistinct)  on  the  lower 
mandible.  The  number  of  ridges  and  the  largo  size  of  the  bird  point  to  the  specimen  as 
being  that  of  an  old  male." 


■^■u 


H 


f  I 


ill 


Ui 


The  second  skin  that  has  recently  been  brought  to  light  in  Scotland  was,  as 
far  as  we  are  aware,  recorded  for  the  first  time  by  I'rofessor  Wh.  Blasius  in  his 
work,  " Zur  Geschichte  der  Ueberreste  von  Alca  impennis"  published  in  the 
beginning  of  188-i.  He  got  the  information  regarding  its  existence  from  Pro- 
fessor A.  Newton,  who,  in  a  letter  dated  17th  September  1881',  informs  us  that 
he  heard  of  this  sidn,  and  also  the  egg  in  the  same  collection,  from  Mr.  Whiteley, 
who  stated  that  he  had  seen  them  thirty  years  ago.  This  skin  and  egg  are 
preserved  at  Poltalloch,  near  Lochgilphead,  Argyleshire,  and  belong  to  John 
Malcolm,  Esq.,  who  kindly  writes  us,  under  date  10th  August  1881 — "I  am  sorry 
I  cannot  give  you  much  information  relative  to  the  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk 
in  my  possession.  I  have  a  very  fine  and  perfect  specimen  of  that  bird  in  my 
small  collection,  and  also  the  egg ;  both  these  were  purchased  by  me  many  years 
aL,'0  in  London,  and  I  do  not  know  whsre  they  came  from,  but  believe  they  were 
brought  home  in  one  of  the  Arctic  expeditions."  In  answer  to  our  further 
inquiries, Mr.  Malcolm  wrote  us  on  23d  August  1881 — "I  think  you  are  correct 
that  the  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk  wliich  I  have  was  bought  from  the  elder 
Leadbetter,  but  I  cannot  recollect  the  price  I  paid  for  it,  and  have  no  record  to 
refer  to  of  the  purchase.  ...  If  I  remember  ri[iht,  the  specimen  of  the  bird  itself 
did  not  cost  me  more  than  two  or  three  pounds,  but,  as  I  before  said,  I  cannot  be 
sure  of  this,  and  have  no  memoranda." 

The  information  regarding  this  sldu  and  egg  did  not  reach  Professor  Blasius 
until  the  part  of  his  work  which  refers  to  the  skins  was  published,  so  he 
mentions  it  in  connection  with  the  egg,  and  ho  states  that  Professor  Newton 
thinks  these  specimens  were  bought  from  forty  to  fifty  years  ago  (see  Appendix, 
p.  32). 

Another  instance  of  the  recent  discovery  of  a  skin  has  occurred  in  Den.nark, 
where  one  has  been  brought  to  light  in  the  collection  of  Count  Ilaben  at  Aallioliii, 
Nysted,  Laaland.  The  first  information  we  got  about  this  skin  was  in  a  letter 
from  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  of  Copenhagen,  dated  25th  August  1883. 


RECENT  DISCOVERIES  OF  GREAT  AUK  SKINS. 


95 


We  understand  that  he  only  became  aware  of  its  existence  shortly  previous 
to  that  time  (for  further  inforniaiion,  see  Appendix,  p.  4). 

Since  the  above  discovery  was  intimated  another  skin  has  been  brought  into 
notice  through  the  inquiries  of  Professor  W.  Blasius,  and  he  recorded  this 
skin  in  a  paper  he  read  on  the  22d  September  1884,  at  a  meeting  of  the  German 
Natural  History  Societies,  that  met  together  at  Magdeburg.  The  learned  Pro- 
fessor stated  that  in  the  spring  of  1884,  during  a  journey  to  Russia,  he  visited 
Warsaw,  where  he  heard  from  Ilerr  Lad.  Taczanowski,  the  keeper  of  the  Zoological 
Museum  in  that  city,  that  he  had  frequently  seen  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  stuffed 
skin  of  Alca  impennis  in  the  private  collection  of  Mons.  Jules  Vian  at  Paris,  and 
that  the  last  time  he  saw  it  was  quite  recently.  On  the  2d  February  1885, 
Professor  W.  Blasius  kindly  sent  us  the  following  additional  information  :— "  The 
specimen  was  bought  at  a  low  price  some  three  years  ago  from  a  sailor  at  Brest,  in 
whose  family  it  had  been  kept  for  some  fifty  years.  This  skin  is  also  mentioned 
on  the  authority  of  E.  Fairmaire,  by  Olphe-Galliard  in  his  '  Contributions  h  la 
fauna  ornithologique  de  I'Europe  occidentale.'  Fascicule  I.,  1884,  p.  26.  Doubts 
may,  however,  be  cast  on  the  existence  of  the  two  birds  mentioned  by  the  same 
author  (ibid.,  p.  29),  as  in  tlie  Collection  Dufresne,  Paris." 

There  was  at  one  time  a  stufTed  skin  of  Alca  impennis  in  the  Natural 
History  Museum  in  Manchester,  which  is  now  in  connection  with  "  The  Owens 
College."  On  the  9th  October  1884,  Professor  W.  Boyd  Dawkins  kindly  wrote 
as  follows — "  I  am  sorry  that  our  specimen  of  Alca  impennis  disappeared  before 
1869,  and  I  have  never  been  able  to  trace  it."  Immediately  on  receipt  of  this 
letter  we  wrote  thanking  the  learned  Professor  for  the  information,  and  asking 
him  if  he  could  favour  us  with  any  particulars  regarding  the  history  of  this  skin, 
and  also  of  an  egg  mentioned  as  being  in  the  Manchester  Museum  by  Professor 
W.  Preyer  of  Jena,  in  18G5.  Professor  W.  Boyd  Pawkins,  when  our  letter 
reached  him,  was  kind  enough  to  hand  it  to  Mr.  J.  R.  Hardy,  who,  writing  from 
"The  Owens  College"  on  the  20th  October  1884,  says— "  Professor  Dawkins 
handed  me  your  letter  some  days  ago.  I  have  had  a  good  hunt,  but  fail  to  find 
any  trace  of  Great  Auk  or  egg.  I  remember  when  quite  a  little  lad  my  father 
buying  the  skin  and  e;j:g  for  £in,  but  I  cannot  just  now  find  the  letters.  I  have 
gone  over  thousands  of  my  lato  father's  letters,  but  so  far  fail  to  find  the  ones 
regarding  the  Great  Auk." 

It  is  just  possible  this  skin  and  egg  may  yet  be  found.     We  are  not  aware 
that  the  skin  has  been  previously  recorded. 


T] 


•     \ 


iff 


,'■ 


tti: 


til' 


1      ■ 


96 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOIVL. 


At  least  one  skin  that  had  become  decayed  has  been  destroyed,  and  those 
who  permitted  this  must  surely  have  been  wanting  in  knowledge  of  its  value. 

The  skin  referred  to  was  in  the  Teyler  Collection  in  the  Haarlem  Museum  ; 
and  Mr.  G.  A.  Frank  of  London  informed  Professor  W.  Blasius  that  it  was  pur- 
posely destroyed  during  the  management  of  Professor  Breda,  and  that  no  bones 
were  obtained  from  it. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Pi.  Chanipley,  which  was  probably  written  about  1860, 
though  it  bears  no  date,  Herr  Friedrich  Schultz,  Dresden,  informs  him  that  in 
the  year  1835,  on  March  21st,  he  received  from  Mr.  F.  G.  \V.  Brandt,  Hamburg, 
three  skins  of  Alca  ivqvnnis  and  two  eggs.  On  the  9th  May  of  the  same  year 
he  bought  personally  at  Hamburg,  from  a  stranger,  two  skins  and  two  eggs.  He 
received,  on  7th  July,  from  Mr.  Salmin,  Hamburg,  one  skin.  From  that  time  he 
did  not  get  any  skins  of  Alca  impcnnis.  Ho  says,  "  According  to  my  books  these 
skins  and  eggs  were  sold  only  to  the  following: — Mr.  Henry  Eoss,  Leipzig,  one 
skin ;  after  his  death  the  collection  went  to  Professor  Dr.  Schweageichen,  and 
later  to  the  Museum  of  his  University ;  Mr.  llobert  I  raak,  Amsterdam,  got  two 
skins;  Mr.  Hugh  Iteid,  Doncaster,  two  skins  and  two  eggs;  Barber  Hiihnel, 
Leipzig,  one  egg.  What  has  become  of  the  rest  I  cannot  state  with  certainty." 
Before  leavhig  tliis  part  of  our  subject,  il  may  be  as  well  that  we  should  refer  to 
the  number  of  skins  obtained  from  Iceland  between  the  years  1830  and  18414. 
It  is  most  dilhcult  to  get  accurate  information  upon  this  matter,  and  Professor 
Newton,  Professor  I'rcyer,  and  Professor  lilasius  all  a}>pear  to  difter,  more  or  less, 
as  to  the  number  of  birds  captured.  The  fact  seems  to  be  that  so  many  years 
had  elapsed  after  the  last  specimens  of  Alca  impeimis  were  obtained,  before 
inquiries  were  instituted  as  to  the  actual  numbers  killed,  that  those  who  made 
raids  on  Eldey  had  forgotten  the  exact  numbers ;  and  the  statements  of  Herr 
Sieniseu  of  Peykjavik,  into  whose  hands  a  number  of  the  skins  and  eggs  had  passed, 
appear  to  Professor  Newton  to  be  inaccurate.  The  same  writer  states,  that  besides 
this  he  has  no  doubt  a  nundjer  of  expeditions  to  the  .skerry  took  place  between 
1830  and  1811,  of  which,  when  he  wrote  his  paper  on  the  late  Mr.  Wolley's 
researches  in  1801,  he  could  give  neither  the  dates  or  the  results.  He  then  alludes 
to  the  total  number  of  skins  got  during  the  fourteen  years  referred  to,  and  says, 
"  If  all  the  stories  we  received  can  be  credited,  the  whole  nutiiber  would  reaiOi 
eighty-seven.  I  should  imagine  sixty  to  be  about  the  real  amount.'"'  Professor 
Blasius,  who  has  studied  the  subject  caiel'ully,  api'cars  to  think  that  probably  the 

•  Mr.  J.  WoUcy's  "Keaeaiclica,''  by  Prof.  A.  Newton.     Ilia,  Octubir,  ISUl.  i>.  392. 


' 


' 


REMARKS  REGARDING  GREAT  AUK  SKELETONS. 


97 


following  are  the  numbers  of  skins  that  reached  Britain  and  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  between  1830  and  1840  during  the  different  years  mentioned:— 1830, 
twelve  to  twenty-one  ?;  1831,  twenty-four ;  1833,  three  to  thirteen  ? ;  1834,  nine  ; 
1840,  three.  Total,  fifty-one  or  seventy."  To  these  there  has  to  be  added  tlie  two 
birds  killed  in  1844,  the  last  Garefowls  that  were  seen.  Most  if  not  all  the  Gare- 
fowls  obtained  during  these  years  appear  to  have  been  skinned  by  opening  them 
under  the  right  wing,  and  then  the  skins  were  stuffed  with  hay,  the  bones  being 
wrapped  round  with  hemp  (Ibis,  18G1,  p.  390).  The  greater  number  of  the  skins 
enumerated  by  I'rofessor  Blasius  were  sent  from  Iceland  to  Copenhagen,  but  a  con- 
siderable number  reached  London,  and  a  few  went  to  Hamburg  and  Flensburg, 


Skeletons. 

The  two  incomplete  skeletons  said  to  exist  at  Breslau  and  Florence,  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  II.  Champley  ("Ann.  and  Mag.  Natural  Hist.,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p. 
23G),  appear  to  be  non-existent,  as  Professor  W.  Blasius  has  made  inquiries  and 
can  find  no  trace  of  them.  He  wrote  I'rofessor  Anton  Schneider,  director  of 
the  University  Zoological  Museum  at  Breslau,  regarding  all  the  remains  of  Alca 
iinpcanis  known  to  exist  there,  and  requested  him  for  information.  Professor 
Schneider  wrote  regarding  -ther  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  at  Breslau,  but  he 
made  no  mention  of  a  skeleton. 

As  it  was  desirable  that  this  point  should  be  settled,  he  wrote  to  Professor 
Schneider,  and  in  a  letter  dated  3d  October  1884,  he  kindly  informed  us  that 
"  no  skeleton  or  part  of  a  skeleton  of  the  Alca  impennis  exists  in  either  the 
Zoological  or  Anatomical  Museums  of  the  University  here."  On  the  25th  Septem- 
ber 1884,  we  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  II.  Champley,  in  answer  to  our  inquiries 
as  to  how  he  came  to  make  the  statement  referred  to,  and  apparently  there  must 
be  some  mistake  as  to  Mr.  Champley  having  been  the  authority  for  the  Breslau 
skeleton ;  he  says,  "  I  have  no  recollection  of  any  skeleton  at  Breslau.  I  am  not 
aware  that  my  name  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  any  skeleton  supposed  to 
be  in  Breslau.     If  my  name  has  been  inserted,  it  is  an  error." 

As  to  the  incomplete  skeleton  at  Florence,  I'rofessor  Enrico  H.  Giglioli 
wrote  Professor  W.  Blasius,  saying,  "  Not  even  a  bone  exists  in  Florence."  This 
statement  seems  very  clear,  but  as  we  thought  Mr.  Champley  might  be  able  to 


\m,  V.  ^2i\   '-^^^^'"'^^  '^""  ^''•■•'"'■''sto  von  Alca  inipennu.  Liun.,  I'rof.  WUh.  Blasius.     Nuumburg  a.S, 

N 


98 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOIVL. 


it 


M' 


m^ 


throw  some  light  upon  the  subject,  and  at  least  state  how  he  came  to  mention  the 
existence  of  this  skeleton,  we  wrote  him  asking  for  information ;  and  on  the  23d 
September  1881  he  wrote,  "  As  regards  the  skeleton,  it  was  part  of  one  in  spirits, 
and  shown  me  by  the  curator  in  his  private  room  in  18G1,  when  I  was  at  Florence." 
On  the  26th  September  ho  wrote  us  further  upon  the  same  subject.  He  says, 
"  I  made  no  note  of  the  results  of  my  inspection  of  the  Museum  (the  Anatomical 
and  Natural  History  one),  but  to  the  best  of  my  belief  the  skeleton  had  a 
portion  of  the  viscera  attached,  and  was  contained  in  a  sealed  glass  jar  about  18 
inches  by  8  inches.  I  remember  the  visit  perfectly  well."  It  occurred  to  us  that 
as  there  was  a  considerable  difference  between  an  incomplete  skeleton  of  a  Great 
Auk  and  part  of  the  body  of  one  of  these  birds  preserved  in  spirits,  that  it  might  be 
well  to  write  and  explain  this  to  Professor  Enrico  H.  CJiglioli,  and  ask  if  he  could 
give  any  information  upon  the  subject.  We  accordingly  wrote,  and  the  learned 
Professor  kindly  replied  on  Gth  October  1884,  as  follows : — "  From  renewed 
inciuiries  I  find  that  no  skeleton  or  single  bone  of  the  Great  Auk  ever  was  in  this 
Museum,  and  I  cannot  imagine  how  Mr.  Champley  came  to  make  his  statement." 
We  communicated  this  information  to  Mr,  Champley,  who  wrote  us  on  the 
11th  October: — "I  will  look  among  my  papers;  I  think  I  have  the  card  of  the 
curator,  or  at  least  his  name.  It  is  now  twenty-three  years  sinca  The  glass- 
case  contained  other  birds,  only  I  remember  there  was  a  door  on  each  side,  and 
the  glass  sealed  bottle  was  on  a  shelf  in  the  centre.  As  I  said  before,  I  took  little 
interest  save  in  tlie  skins  and  eggs  at  that  time."  On  the  15th  October  Mr. 
Champley  again  wrote  : — "  I  remember  well  what  was  shown  me,  because  at  the 
time  I  was  so  much  impressed,  and  I  had  no  object  whatever  in  stating  what  I 
then  noticed.  During  my  tour  in  18G1  I  preserved  all  my  hotel  bills,  and  the 
cards,  addresses,  introductions,  &c.,  are  all  together  somewhere;  I  will  look 
them  out."  On  the  18th  October  he  wrote  as  follows : — "  I  have  looked  over 
my  diary,  and  only  find  a  pencil  note  similar  to  my  previous  statement. 
I  cannot  find  any  name  of  the  curator,  but  I  think  his  name  had  three 
syllables,  and  there  was,  I  think,  a  tautology  in  the  pronunciation.  I  have  an 
indistinct  remembrance  of  the  name.  Possibly  if  you  had  half  a  dozen  names  of 
that  date  (1861),  I  could  then  recall  the  name."  We  wrote  to  Professor  Enrico 
H.  Giglioli  on  the  20th  October  informing  him  of  what  Mr.  Champley  said,  and 
on  the  2d  December  he  answered  us  as  follows : — "  I  have  been  absent  from 
Florence  for  the  last  month,  and  that  accounts  for  my  not  having  answered  your 
last.     The  persons  in  charge  of  the  Florence  Natural  History  Museum  in  1861 


REMARKS  REGARDING  GREAT  AUK  SKELETONS. 


99 


were  Messrs.  Ikuscoli  and  Ticcioli ;  both  arc  alivo,  and  both  tell  me  that  they 
never  saw  anything  like  the  specimen  described  by  Mr.  Champley.  There  must 
be  some  mistake,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  Mr.  C.  saw  what  he  describes 
in  some  other  museum,  for  even  if  the  sujiposed  specimen  had  since  disappeared 
from  tliis  nmseum  it  would  be  yet  on  the  old  catalogues,  which  I  have,  and  in 
which  I  find  no  mention  of  such  a  specimen."  When  this  letter  reached  us  wo 
at  once  communicated  its  contents  to  Mr.  Champley,  who  replied  as  follows  on 
the  8th  December :— "  deferring  to  your  letter,  I  can  only  add  that  t  made  the 
pencil  entry  at  the  time,  but  neither  of  the  names  you  give  resembles  the  one  I 
indistinctly  remember.  At  all  events,  the  Great  Auk  remains  are  not  there. 
Some  museums  effect  exchanges,  and  these  remains  may  possibly  turn  up  some- 
where, and  the  mystery  be  cleared  up."  On  the  13th  December  1881,  Mr. 
Champley  kindly  sent  us  the  original  note,  which  he  had  found  among  his  papers, 
and  of  which  tlie  following  is  a  copy.  It  is  written  on  a  scrap  of  paper,  and 
Mr.  Champley  says  he  does  not  know  the  name  of  the  person  who  wrote  it,  but  it 
was  written  for  him  at  his  request  when  he  was  in  the  Museum  at  Florence. 
This  note,  though  it  specially  refers  to  a  skin,  seems  to  decide  the  question  at 
issue : — 

"  Lc  seul  iiidividu  de  VAlca  ■impcnnia  existant  dans  la  Collection  ornithologiquo  du 
Rl.  Musdo  d(i  riiysiquo  et  d'llistoiro  naturelle  do  Florence,  fut  aclieto  dan.s  Ian  1837  du 
niarchaud  uatundisto  Etienno  Moricaud  do  Gonivo. 

"  Fedeuioo  liuuscoLi,  Comervateur. 

"  Feruikand  ricciOLi,  Aide  da  Pro/esseur  de 

Zoologte  des  Virti'lm^. 
"  Florkn-ce,  lc  21  Mai,  1861." 

In  a  letter,  dated  17th  January  1885,  Mr.  Champley  says,  "  I  have  been  think- 
ing over  and  over  again  about  the  viscera  of  the  Aka  impnmis  at  Florence.  It 
was  placed  in  a  glass  case  fronting  a  circular  table  on  which  stood,  I  believe,  a 
portion  of  the  hands  of  Galileo  under  a  shade."  If  these  remains  exist  anywhere, 
and  they  are  ever  discovered,  it  will  be  most  interesting,  as  the  only  physiological 
preparations  of  Alca  imjKiinis  known  are  those  in  the  Museum  at  Copenhagen, 
though  the  body  of  another  Great  Auk  is  said  to  have  been  sent  from  Iceland  in 
spirits.     See  p.  103. 

As  our  readera  are  aware,  the  remains  that  were  obtained  from  Funk  Island 
in  187 i  by  Professor  J.  Milne  are  now  scattered,  and  as  it  was,  if  possible, 
desirable  that  fuller  information  should  be  obtained  regarding  these  bones,  we 
communicated  with  Mr.   Edward  Gerrard,  juur,,  who  kindly  answered  us  as 


100 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


,1 


follows  on  23(1  September  1 88t :  "  I  do  not  remember  the  exact  number  of 
beaks  of  the  Great  Auk,  b\it  tliero  were  over  fifty.  I  aortetl  and  fitted  the  bones 
together  as  well  as  I  could  to  make  three  skeletons,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
say  of  how  many  different  birds  each  skeleton  was  made  up.  Besides  the  three 
skeletons  yon  name,  there  is  now  another  in  the  British  Museum.  I  sold  a 
series  of  bones  to  Dr.  Woodward,  and  since  the  collection  has  been  at  Kensing- 
ton ho  has  had  them  put  together,  and  they  make  a  tolerably  perfect  skeleton. 
I  sold  one  skeleton  to  Count  Turati,  one  to  Mr.  T.  C.  Eyton,  and  another  to  Dr. 
Meyer.  Imiierfect  heads  and  odd  bones  I  sold  to  a  good  many  people."  In  a 
postscript  Mr.  (lerrard  informs  us  that  he  lias  still  a  few  beaks,  leg-bones,  &c., 
to  dispose  of,  and  any  persons  desiring  to  obtain  Alcino  remains  would  do  well 
to  get  further  information  from  him.  llis  address  is  31  College  Place,  Camden 
Town,  London,  N.W. 

The  skeleton  sold  to  Count  Ercolo  Turati  was  still,  in  1881,  in  the  collection 
of  that  deceased  nobleman,  as  mentioned  by  T.  Salvador!  {Unit,  1881,  p.  609); 
but  we  liave  recently  received  information  that  it  is  now  in  the  Public  ^fuseum, 
Milan.  The  skeleton  sold  to  Mr.  T.  C.  Eyton  is  now  in  Lord  Lilford's  collection, 
and  the  unmounted  skeleton  sold  by  Mr.  (ierrard  to  Dr.  A.  B.  Meyer  has  been 
put  together  and  is  in  the  Museum  at  Dresden. 


i\ 


111  '■  •> 


Detaciikd  Bonks. 

From  an  examination  of  the  bones  sent  home  by  P.  Stuvitz  from  Funk  Island, 
Professor  B.  Collett  lias  arrived  at  the  conclusion  tliat  they  represent  thirty-six 
individuals,  and  he  has  publislied  the  results  of  his  investigations  in  "  Mittheilungen 
des  Ornitliologischen  Vereins  in  Wiuii,"  1881,  Nos.  5,  G.  We  are  indebted  to 
Professor  Stecnstrup  for  this  information,  wliicli  he  sent  us  on  IGth  March  188.5. 
Unfortunately  we  have  had  no  opportunity  of  seeing  the  papers  in  question,  but 
if  we  deduct,  from  the  tliirty-six  enumerated  by  Professor  Collett,  tlie  bones  sent 
by  Stuvitz,  now  in  Copenhagen,  said  to  represent  five  or  six  specimens,  and  those 
in  Christiunia,  raid  to  belong  to  eight  or  ten  individuals,  ve  have  bones  repre- 
senting either  twenty  or  twenty-three  Great  Auks  still  to  record.     (See  page  85.) 

The  bones  that  have  been  discovered  in  tlie  Danish  KjokkennKiddiugs  liave 
not  yet  been  properly  recorded,  and  to  a  foreigner  living  in  a  distant  country, 
and  without  a  knowledge  of  the  language,  the  diflicuities  in  connection  witli  this 
work  may  be  looked  upon    as   insurmountable.     If    some  Danish   arclueologist 


REMARKS  REGARDING  nONES  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


lOI 


would  undertake  tliis  labour,  he  would  l)e  conferring  a  favour  upon  all  interested 
in  Alca  impennia.  With  the  desire  of  tracing  to  their  present  resting-places  at 
least  some  of  these  remains,  we  wrote  to  Professor  J.  Stcenstrup,  who  has  always 
been  so  willing  to  give  us  information,  and  he  answered  our  inquiry  in  a  letter 
dated  25th  November  1883,  as  follows: — "I  am  very  sorry  that  I  am  unable  to 
give  you  such  references  as  in  this  case  I  wish  to  do,  because  I  can  by  no  means 
spare  the  necessary  time  for  researches  and  correspondence  with  different  persons 
still  living  in  Jutland,  and  in  whose  small  collections  of  flint  and  bone  imple- 
ments, and  of  bones  of  mammals  and  birds,  I  have  observed  some  relics  of  Alca 
impennis.  Such  relics  are  indeed  very  few,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will 
find  their  way  some  day  to  the  Zoological  Museum  in  Copenhagen.  Of  course  I 
nuist  confess  that  not  all  the  bones  of  Alca  impennis  found  to  this  day,  and 
known  to  me,  are  in  the  Museum.  The  number  of  individuals  to  which  our 
bones  belong  I  cannot  say  before  they  have  been  more  exactly  compared,  and 
the  relations  of  tarsal  and  leg  bones  to  humeri  and  ulnae,  &c.,  duly  considered." 

Most  of  the  bones  of  Alca  impennis  that  have  been  known  to  exist  in  Britain 
have  been  accounted  for,  but  there  are  amissing  those  that  were  used  by  a  Mr. 
Blyth  for  an  osteological  lecture  delivered  before  the  Zoological  Society  of  London 
in  1837  ("Proceedings,  Zoological  Society,"  1837,  p.  122).  In  the  Ibis,  1860,  p. 
397,  Professor  A.  Newton  refers  to  these  bones,  and  supposes  that  they  were 
extracted  from  a  skin.  He  lately  informed  Professor  \Vh.  Blasius  that  Mr.  Blyth 
afterwards  gave  him  confirmation  of  the  conjecture.  It  is  not  known  what  after- 
wards became  of  these  bones,  and  with  as  little  certainty  can  it  be  stated  out  of 
what  skin  they  proceeded.  In  a  letter  to  Professor  Wh.  Biasing,  Professor  A. 
Newton  says—"  I  remember  that  many  years  ago  I  asked  P.lyth  about  the  bones 
which  he  mentioned  in  1837,  but  he  could  not  remember  out  of  what  specimen 
they  were  procured,  but  it  was  probably  (?ne  that  was  stuffed  by  Bartlott,  the 
present  superintendent  of  the  Zoological  (Jarden,  London,  for  Tucker,  a  London 
dealer,  wiio  on  one  occasion  about  that  time  had  from  eight  to  ten  skins  of  this 
bird  all  at  once ;  all  of  course  from  Iceland.  Tucker  died  many  years  ago,  and 
I  never  knew  him.  Bartlott  has  no  remembrance  of  the  affair,  but  he  and  Blyth 
were  very  intimate  at  that  time." 

The  large  quantity  of  remains  of /1/ca  impennis  obtained  on  Funk  Island  during 
1871-  by  Professor  J.  Milne,  have  been  purchased  by  many  nuisoums  as  well  as 
private  collectors,  aiul  have  proved  useful  in  filling  up  in  numerous  instances  a 
much  felt  want. 


w. 


102 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


!# 


i;-      ;! 


'■■! 


4  ■     ' 


It  njipears  that  on  the  rotuni  of  Professor  Mihio,  ho  allowed  tho  authorities 
of  the  British  Museum  aud  the  Koyal  Colle{,'0  of  Surgeons,  London,  and  I'rofessor 
A.  Newton  of  Cambridge,  to  make  their  selections,  and  afterwards  handed  over 
tho  greater  part  of  liis  find  to  Mr.  Edward  Gerrard,  junr.,  dealer  in  Zoological 
wares,  who  out  of  them  put  together  tho  three  skeletons  already  mentioned,  and 
then  sold  most  of  tho  numerous  remaining  bones  to  his  own  eustomers  and  to 
other  dealers  who  resold  them.  In  our  lists  we  have  occasion  to  refer  to  these 
remains  repeatedly.  After  deducting  the  three  skeletons  constructed  by  Mr. 
(Jerrard  and  tho  one  skeleton  in  the  British  Museum,  South  Kensington,  wo 
think  tho  probable  total  wo  mention  at  page  80  is  as  near  tho  correct  number 
of  Garefowl  represented  by  the  remains,  as  it  is  now  possible  to  ascertain. 

What  may  bo  tho  worth  of  a  skeleton,  or  even  detached  bones,  of  Alca  ivqyennis 
is  exceedingly  doubtful,  as  almost  no  information  on  this  point,  as  far  as  prices 
given  in  tho  past,  is  obtainable.  The  dealers,  through  whoso  agency  most  of  the 
recent  sales  have  been  eflected,  are  naturally  reticent  as  to  tho  prices  paid  them 
for  remains  by  their  clients. 

In  1870  there  was  bought  from  Mr.  E.  Gerrard,  junr.,  for  the  Museum  of 
Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh,  an  imperfect  crania,  two  humeri,  and  several  other 
bones  from  Funk  Island,  at  a  cost  of  253. 

Physiological  PitErAitATioxs. 

During  1883  we  were  informed  by  Professor  Japetus  Steenstrup  of  Copenhagen 
that  he  intended  to  have  tho  viscera  of  tlio  two  Great  Auks  in  tho  Museum 
figured.  As  wo  thought  it  might  bo  possible  to  arrange  to  give  prints  of  those 
figures  in  this  work,  we  wrote  the  learned  Professor,  and  he  kindly  replied  as 
follows  on  the  2oth  August  1881: — "If  tho  figures  of  tho  viscera  of  the  Great 
Auks  in  tho  Museum  had  been  ready  I  certainly  would  have  sent  you  them. 
We  have  obtained  specimens  of  Alca  lonla  of  both  sexes  from  the  Faroe 
Islands,  killed  on  the  same  days  of  the  year  as  our^/ra  iinpcnnis  ^  and  c?.  a"d 
preserved  in  spirit.  These  reached  Copenhagen  some  weeks  ago.  As  soon  as 
time  allows,  preparations  similar  to  the  preparations  of  Aim  iiiqjcnnin  are  to  be 
made,  aud  then  both  sets  of  preparations  are  to  be  figured  for  comparison. 
Without  suits  the  figures  of  the  viscera  ol  Alca  impennis  would  bo  of  no  use 
at  all."  In  the  IbU  for  1801,  page  300,  Professor  Xewton  refers  as  follows  to  the 
body  of  a  Great  Auk  that  was  preserved  in  s^nrit : — "In  August  18  iO  or  1811, 


THE  VALUE  OF  GREAT  AUK  EGGS. 


103 


threo  skins,  as  many  eggs,  and  the  body  of  a  bird  in  spirit  was  bouglit  of  Factor 
Chr.  Thade,  now  (1801)  living  at  Copenhagen,  by  Hcrr  S.  Jacobsen,  who  told  us 
that  he  parted  with  tlieiu  cither  to  Ilurr  Seining,  a  naturalist  at  Hamburg,  or  to 
Mr.  Jainrach,  the  well-known  dealer."  These  reinains  had  been  evidently  obtained 
on  Eldey.  What  became  of  the  bird  in  spirit  appears  to  be  iniknown,  and  it 
would  be  most  interesting  if  it  could  be  traced,  as  physiological  preparations  of 
the  Great  Auk  are  so  rare. 


EOGS. 

The  value  of  the  eggs  is  better  known,  as  on  one  or  two  occasions  they  have 
been  .sold  by  auction,  and  the  rapid  increase  in  value  is  easily  seen  by  an 
examination  of  the  prices  paid. 

The  two  eggs  now  in  I'liiladelphia  were  both  bought  from  dealers  in  Paris  by 
their  previous  possessor,  M.  O.  Des  Murs,  at  remarkably  low  prices  compared  to 
what  are  now  given.  The  first  was  bought  ;id  June  1830  for  5  francs,  about 
4s.  Id.  The  second  was  purchased  on  the  10th  May  18:3;5  for  3  francs,  about 
2s.  5d.  One  of  the  eggs  now  in  (Cambridge  is  believed  to  have  been  bought  in 
1832  for  £2.  The  specimen  now  at  Breslau  was  sold  at  Leipzig  in  1835  for 
7  thalera  =  £1,  Ig.  It  is  said  to  have  been  purchased  by  the  present  holder  in 
1870  for  200  thalors  =  £30.  Anotlier  egg,  now  at  Scarborough,  was  also  bought 
at  Leipzig  in  1835  for  7  thnlers  =  £1,  Is.,  along  with  some  other  eggs.  This 
Oreat  Auk's  egg  was  sold  alone  in  1857  for  50  thalers  ■-  £7,  IDs.,  but  what  the 
present  holder  paid  for  it  we  do  not  know.     Many  years  ago,  probably  about 

1 810,  the  egg  recently  brought  to  light  at  Poltalloch  was  bought  by  Mr.  Malcolm 
from  the  elder  Loadbetter  for  £1,  wliich  tlie  purchaser  thought  at  that  time  a 
higli  price."     The  egg  now  at  Hitchin  was  bought  by  IJeid  of  Doiicaster,  in  ^lay 

1811,  for  £2,  Gs.,  from  Friedrich  Schultz  of  Dresden.  In  connection  witli  this 
transaction,  the  following  letter  from  Mr.  Ifeid  to  Mr.  II.  Champley  of  Scarborough 
is  interesting : — 

"8  SPIIINT.   ('.AIUlENS,    noNl'ASTKK, 
26th  July  1S60. 

"Deau  Sm,— I  never  Imd  but  one  egg  of  AIca  ivipennis  in  my  possession.  I  had  the 
abovi!  from  Mr.  iM-iwlrich  Sdmltz  of  Drcsdi-ii  in  Saxony.  I  sold  it  to  iMr.  Tuku  of  York, 
now  banker  in  Lomlon  (now  llitdiin).  I  rfccived  it  in  1811,  May  23(1.  I  sold  it  for 
£2,  Cs.  to  that  gentleman  ;  it  is  now  worth  ,£'28  or  £30.     The  year  following  the  late 


"  Mr.  Malcolui,  iu  letter  of  23il  August  188-1. 


t04 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


*  ; 


fi 


i\ 


Mr.  Robort  Dunn  of  Hull  offored  mo  two  fino  eggs  of  that  bird,  and  two  skins  of  tho  same 
for  .£20.  I  did  not  purchase,  and  I  do  not  know  who  got  tlioni.  I  believe  he  had  them 
from  Norway.  Ho  has  two  sons  in  Orkney,  who  collect  specimens  of  natural  history. 
These  are  all  the  particulars  I  can  give. — Yours  truly,  Hugh  Rbid." 

Ou  the  30th  December  1859,  Mr.  W.  R.  Joluiston  of  Hackney  sent  to  Mr.  R. 
Champley  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  tho  late  Sir  William  Miluer,  Bart.,  which, 
however,  has  no  date.  It  is  written  from  Nuuappleton,  Tadcaster.  The  following 
is  what  Sir  William  says : — "  Whilst  I  was  staying  at  Dusseldorf,  in  November 
1817,  I  heard  that  there  was  a  Great  Auk's  egg  to  be  had  at  Perrot's,  an 
out-of-the-way  shop  down  by  the  Seine  in  Paris.  As  I  was  returning  to  England 
I  stopped  in  Paris,  found  that  the  information  was  correct,  and  purchased  the  egg 
from  Perrot  for  200  francs  (about  £8,  3s.  4d.),  on  the  23d  November  1847.  It  is 
now  in  my  possession,  and  considered  a  very  good  specimen  in  good  preservation." 
This  egg  is  still  in  the  collection  at  Nuuappleton  (see  p.  88). 

During  May  1853  the  late  Lord  Garvagh  bought  at  a  public  sale  two  eggs 
of  Aha  imjHiinis  that  belonged  to  Mr.  T.  H.  Potts,  now  of  Oliinitahi,  New  Zealand, 
for  £30  and  £20.  One  of  these  has  since  got  broken,  and  is  understood  to  be  in 
the  possession  of  the  Dowager  Lady  Garvagh.  The  other  is  in  the  collection  of 
the  late  Mr.  G.  D.  Rowley,  which  now  belongs  to  his  son  Mr.  G.  Fydell  Rowley, 
Brighton.  Writing  to  Air.  R.  Champley,  probably  about  18G0  (though  the  letter 
bears  no  date),  Herr  Fricdrich  Schultz,  Dresden,  says :  "  The  egg  that  you  (([uery 
Dresden;  this  note  is  in  Mr.  Champley's  writing)  possess  out  of  Thieuemann's 
collection  is  from  Paris,  and  was  found  there  in  the  year  1815  amongst  a  heap 
of  rubbish.  I  saw  the  egg  at  Paris  in  1810,  and  could  not  recognise  it  for  dirt  as 
an  vrnxnnis,  therefore  did  not  buy  it.  After  my  return  I  informed  Dr.  Thieneniann 
of  it,  who  sent  for  it,  cleaned  it,  and  kept  it  in  his  collection.  He  paid  15  francs 
for  it."  In  a  postscrijit  to  tho  letter  he  says :  "  One  egg  in  Thieuemann's  collection 
is  valued  at  lOU  dollars." 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  R.  Champley,  dated  from  Paris,  21st  March  18C0,  a  writer 
whose  name  we  have  not  been  able  to  decipher,  mentions  as  follows : — "  The  egg 
bought  at  Paris  by  the  Abbu  Vincelot  of  Ang(  ■  ■  has  been  purchased  for  the 
collection  of  M.  Raoul  de  Barace  of  the  same  town.  (See  p.  88.)  I  learned 
some  days  ago  that  an  egg  of  the  same  bird  exists  at  Paris  in  the  collection  of 
Mons.  Cerveau,'-  head  of  the  department  of  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction, 
and  another  at  Dieppe  (see  p.  89),  in  tliat  of  M.  Hardy,  a  learned  ornithologist." 


'■  ^Ve  arc  unaware  w)int  has  becume  of  this  cgi;. 


THE  PRICES  OBTAINED  FOR  GREAT  AUK  EGGS. 


105 


On  the  14tli  April  18G0,  Mons.  E.  P'airmaire  of  Paris  wrote  Mr.  E.  Champley 
informing  him  that  he  had  obtained  drawings  for  him  of  the  two  eggs  at  that 
time  in  the  possession  of  Count  de  Baracd,  Angers.  He  adds,  "  The  egg  of 
Alca  vnpemiis  with  the  black  streaks  at  the  thick  end,  was  sold  by  me  to 
M.  de  Baraco  for  the  sum  of  450  francs  (about  £18,  7s.  6d.) " 

The  following  curious  story,  which  is  well  known  to  ornithologists,  is  so 
remarkable  that  we  repeat  it,  and  give  a  copy  of  Mr.  E.  Champley's  original  note, 

dated  1st  June   1830 :  "  Mr.  Bond  says  to  E.  C,  Yarrell  told  him  that 

walking  near  a  village  near  Boulogne  he  met  a  fishwonian  having  some  guillemot's 
eggs.  lie  asked  her  if  she  had  any  more ;  she  said  she  had  at  her  house.  He 
went,  when  he  saw  hanging  over  the  chimney-piece  four  wild  swans',  with  a 
Great  Auk's  hanging  in  the  centre.  She  asked  two  francs  each  for  them.  He 
bought  the  Auk's  and  two  swans'.  She  said  her  husband  brought  it  from  the 
fisheries.  Tiie  Great  Auk's  egg  sold  at  Stevens'  sale  to  Mr.  Gardiner  for  £21 ; 
sold  again  by  him  to  Mr.  Bond,  21  Cavendish  Eoad,  St.  John's  Wood,  London, 
for  £2G.  Copied  by  E.  Champley  at  Mr.  Bond's,  by  whom  the  history  was 
told." 

On  the  11th  July  1865  there  was  sold  at  Stevens'  Sale  Eooms,  London," 
four  Great  Auk  eggs,  that  were  part  of  the  splendid  set  of  ten  eggs  discovered  in 
the  Museum  of  the  Eoyal  College  of  Surgeons.  The  prices  they  fetched  were 
£33,  £31,  10s.,  and  two  £29  each  As  it  may  be  interesting  for  our  readers  to 
have  some  further  information  ab  )ut  these  eggs,  we  may  state,  that  in  a  footnote 
to  page  483  of  "  Tlie  Garefowl  and  its  Historians  "  ("  Natural  History  Eeview," 
18C5),  I'rofessor  A.  Newton  mentions  that  a  few  years  prior  to  that  time  there 
was  found  in  the  Eoyal  College  of  Surgeons,  London,  by  the  late  curator,  Mr. 
Stewart,  a  box  with  the  words,  "  Penguin's  eggs — Dr.  Dick  " — "  when  or  how 
they  came  into  the  possession  of  the  establishment  there  was  no  record." 

The  box  contained  ten  matchless  Great  Auk  eggs,  .vhicli  were  recognised  by 
Professor  A.  Newton,  and  from  the  name  Penguin  being  on  the  box  he  supposes 
them  to  be  of  American  origin.  This  collection  appears  to  have  been  imique 
and  unrivalled,  and  to  all  interested  in  such  remains  invaluable  for  comparison. 
Tlic  authorities  of  tlie  Eoyal  College  were  evidently  unappreciative  of  them,  for 
it  is  stated  that  they  disposed  of  some  without  even  taking  casts  or  photographs. 
From  a  letter  which  Mr.  J.  C.  Stevens,  the  auctioneer,  wrote  to  Mr.  E.  Champley 


"  J.  C,  Steveua'  tjalo  Uuunia,  36  King  ijtreet,  Cuveat  CSarden. 


]   H 


io6 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


ill: 


m 


ft  .     I 


n 


of  Scarborough,  dated  14th  July  1865,  we  get  the  following  information — "  Lot 
140,  sold  for  £29,  to  the  Eev.  G.  W.  Braikenridge.  Lot  141,  £33,  Mr.  G.  D. 
Rowley.  Lot  142,  £31,  10s.,  Rev.  H.  Burney.  Lot  143,  £29,  Mr.  Cricliton." 
From  other  sources  of  information  we  learn  that  thfise  eggs  are  now  in  the 
following  collections : — Lot  140,  which  was  bought  by  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Braiken- 
ridge of  Clevedon,  Somerset,  has  been  recently  purchased,  along  with  a  collection 
of  eggs  from  that  deceased  gentleman's  sister,  by  Mr.  Edward  Bidwell,  of 
Fonnereau  House,  Twickenham.  Lot  141  is  still  in  the  late  Mr.  G.  D.  Rowley's 
collection  at  Brighton,  which  now  belongs  to  his  son,  Mr.  G.  Fydell  Rowley. 
Lot  142  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Burney,  Wayendon  Rectory, 
by  Woburn,  Bedfordshire.  Lot  143,  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Crichton,  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  his  brother-in-law.  Lord  Lilford.  In  addition  to  the  above 
four  eggs,  of  which  we  have  given  the  sale  prices,  other  three  from  the  same 
collection  "^ere  sold  privately  to  Mr.  R.  Champley  of  Scarborough,  through  the 
agency  of  Professor  Flower,  so  the  Royal  College  is  now  only  in  possession  of 
three  eggs  of  the  ten  that  belonged  to  it. 

On  the  27th  April  18G9  there  was  sold,  at  Stevens'  Sale  Rooms,  the  egg  that 
belonged  to  Dr.  Troughton,  which  was  purchased  by  the  late  Lord  Garvagh  for 
£64.  The  egg  is  now  at  Brighton.  After  Lord  Garvagh 's  death  his  executors 
sold  by  private  bargain  this  egg,  and  also  one  of  the  eggs  which  his  lordship  had 
bought  in  1853  from  Mr.  T.  H.  Potts,  to  the  late  Mr.  G.  1).  Rowley,  and  at  the 
same  time  offered  the  fragments  of  the  other  egg  purchased  in  1853;  but  Mr. 
Rowley  did  not  buy  the  broken  specimen,  which  is  probably  .still  in  the  possession 
of  the  Dowager  Lady  Garvagh.  We  have  heard,  but  we  cannot  be  certain  of  the 
truth  of  the  statement,  that  this  egg  got  broken  through  the  carelessness  of  a 
footman,  and  that  it  was  with  the  object  of  replacing  its  loss  that  Lord  Garvagh, 
in  1869,  purchased  the  egg  tliat  had  belonged  to  Dr.  Troughton. 

With  regard  to  how  this  egg  came  into  the  possession  of  Dr.  Troughton,  the 
following  letter  is  interesting : — 

"Coventry,  Slh  Feb.  1861. 

''  Dear  .Snt, —  I  send  you  the  driiwin;,'  I  promisod  yon  a  long  loiij,'  tiiiio  af,'o.  It  is  of 
tliu  exact  dimensions  of  the  original  egg  of  tho  Great  Aiik  in  my  jios.session,  wliicli  I  pur- 
cliiiseil  of  Mr.  Bartlett,  ten  years  ago,  I  tliink,  witli  the  bird.  Tiie  markings  are  i^retty 
faitlifully  made,  considering  it  was  my  only  attempt  at  egg  drawing.  I  hope  it  will  reach 
you  safely. — I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully,  Nath.  Tkouohton." 


"  R.  Champlby,  Esq.,  Scarborougli.'' 


f 


INFORMATION  REGARDING  GREAT  AUK  EGGS. 


107 


In  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  Edinburgh,  are  preserved  the  two  magni- 
ficent specimens  of  the  eggs  of  Alca  impennis,  of  whicli,  through  the  facilities 
kindly  afforded  us  by  the  autliorities  of  the  Museum,  we  are  able  to  give  coloured 
plates  at  page  108.      Nothing  is  really  known  as  to  the  origin  of    these  eggs 
excep'.  what  we  mention  at  page  87 ;    but  it  is  probable  that  they  originally 
came  from  Newfoundland,  as  on  one  of  them  (No.  1  on  plate)  is  the  word  "  G. 
Pingoain."     The  egg.  No.  2  on  plate,  has  been  at  some  time  or  other  suspended 
by  a  string,  as  Mr.  John  Gibson  informs  us  that  on  one  occasion  he  was  examin- 
ing it  when  he  thought  he  observed  something  inside,  and  with  a  little  care  at 
last  managed  to  pull  out  through  one  of  the  holes  in  the  shell  a  piece  of  string, 
to  which  was  attached  transversely  a  small  stick.     Both  these  eggs  are  blown  at 
the  ends.    "  Professor  A.  Newton  (in  Ibis,  1801,  p.  387)  mentions  that  Mr.  Scales 
saw  several  eggs  of  Alca  impennis  in  the  hands  of  Mons.  Dufresne  in  Paris  about 
1816  or  1817,  and  that  Mr.  Scales  got  an  egg  from  him  reported  to  have  come 
from  the  Orkney  Islands,  wiiich,  however,  Professor  Newton  thinks  extremely 
unlikely,  and  hints  tliat  possibly  the  eggs  may  have  been  obtained  at  the  Geir- 
fuglasker  about  1810,  when  it  was  rumoured  a  French  vessel  had  visited  the 
skerry."     It  is  not  mentioned  when  Mr.  Scales  got  the  egg  from  Dufresne,  but  if 
it  was  in  1816  or  1817,  this  egg  could  not  have  been  part  of  the  spoils  of  an 
expedition  to  the  skerry  in  1819.     It  is  quite  possible  that  Dufresne  may  have 
obtained  the  eggs  in  his  possession  from  various  sources,  but  this  appears  to 
us  unlikely,  and  the  eggs  now  in  Edinburgh  are  evidently  of  American  origin. 
We  have  heard  doubt   expressed  as   to   whether   the  eg^s   in    the    Edinburgh 
Museum  ever  belonged  to  the  Dufresne  collection  ;  but  we  think  there  can  be  no 
reasonnble  doubt  upon  that  point,  as  they  have  always  been  associated  with  it  in 
the  Museum,  and  there  has  never  been,  so  far  as  we  know,  the  slightest  suggestion 
as  to  any  other  source  from  which  they  could  come,  and  the  foregoing  statement 
makes  it  evident  that  Dufiesne  was  possessed  of  some  eggs  of  Alca  impennis. 
These,  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  would  be  sold  along  with  the  other  objects 
that  formed  iiis  natural  history  collection.      It  has  been  stated  by  Professor  Wh. 
lilasius  in  "  Zur  Geschichte  der  Ueberreste  von  Alca  impennis  "  (page  157),  "  that 
the  pggs  were  in  the  Edinburgh  Museum  quite  unknown  for  fifty  years."    That  is, 
however,  a  mistake,  as  tiie  present  curator  of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art, 
Mr.  Alexander  Galletly,  informs  us  that  they  were  quite  well  known  to  be  eggs 
of  the  Great  Auk  by  the  late  Mr.  James  15oyd  Davies,  whei^  !.    '-ad  charge  of  the 
Natural  History  Colle^  and  also  to  other  persons.     A    Dim  ,  time  remains  of 


io8 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


I 


Alca  impennis  were  not  so  valuable  or  so  much  prized,  and  probably  it  was  not 
thought  of  importance  to  publish  the  fact  of  their  existence  so  as  to  record  them. 
When  Major  H.  W.  Fielden  became  aware  of  these  eggs  being  in  Edinburgh, 
he  ascertained  the  particulars,  which  enabled  him  to  publish  a  short  account  of 
them  {Ibis,  1869,  pp.  358-3G0). 

Some  doubt  has  existed  as  to  how  the  Dufresne  collection  was  acquired 
by  the  Edinburgh  University ;  but  the  following  communication,  dated  29th 
November  IBB'l,  which  we  received  from  Professor  W.  Turner,  who  holds  the 
chair  of  Anatomy,  makes  the  transaction  quite  clear  :  "  The  eggs  of  Alca  impennis 
in  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art  formed  a  part  of  the  collection  of  M.  Dufresne 
of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris,  which  was  purchased  in  1819  by  members  of 
the  Senatus  of  the  University.  It  was  afterwards  acquired  by  the  Senatus 
as  a  body,  and  was  transferred  by  them  to  the  Science  and  Art  Department  in 
1855.  The  Dufresne  collection  consisted  of  about  18,000  specimens,  and  con- 
tained IGOO  birds,  and  600  eggs  of  birds,  and  many  of  the  specimens  were  of 
great  value." 

There  is  at  Breslau  in  Germany  an  egg  which  belongs  to  Count  Eodern,  and 
which  is  referred  to  at  page  25  of  Appendix ;  but  as  there  are  different  opinions 
about  its  past  history,  we  may  mention  what  Mr.  R.  Chaiupley  says  on  the  sub- 
ject He  writes  us  under  the  date  23d  September  1881:  "In  reply  to  your 
letter  respecting  the  Breslau  egg,  I  find  the  following  memorandum,  dated  January 
1861,  from  Mr.  Pi.  Mechlenburg,  Fleiisburg.  Mechlenburg  sent  me  a  drawing  of 
the  egg  formerly  in  his  possession,  which  he  obtained  direct  from  Iceland  in  1830. 
He  sold  it  to  a  dealer  in  Breslau.  I  copied  the  drawing,  which  I  now  have,  and 
it  is  endorsed  with  the  above  particulars.  I  believe  in  the  '  Fiir  Ornithologie '  '* 
of  that  year  there  is  reference  also  to  the  same  egg — this  is  twenty-four  years  ago. 
I  don't  know  whether  it  has  changed  hands  ;  this  is  the  authority  I  have  for 
the  egg  at  Breslau."  On  the  25th  September  Mr.  Champley  writes  us :  "  1 
purchased  a  bird  and  egg  of  Mechlenburg,  and  at  the  same  time  he  sent  me  the 
drawing  of  an  egg  he  had  sold  at  Breslau,  which  I  cojjied."  In  the  same 
letter  Mr.  Champley  informs  us  that  he  has  photographs,  engravings,  drawings, 
sketches,  &c.,  of,  he  thinks,  forty-four  eggs,  but  not  the  two  in  the  Edinburgh 
Museum." 

In  1865,  Professor  W.  Preyer,  of  Jena,  mentioned  an  egg  that  existed  in  the 


'*  A  German  publication,  "  Journal  fiir  Ornithologie.' 


i  ; 


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N°l. 


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1 

EOO     OF    THR     GrFAT    AuK    OK     G  AR  PiFOVV  u 
f  A  lea.   I  rn  pen  f  a    Li  nn  i 
Preserved  in  the  Nal'^ral    history  Collection 
Museum   o)  Science  and  Art, 


KANMI  .     uvwritftt 


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^  -— ■;r^'T?c'!^.rr??i;?j^a.ei*B„ 


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Egg   ok  the  Grfat  Auk  or  Garefowl 

(Alca.   impennis    Lmn.; 
Preserved  in  the  Natural    History  Collection 
Museum   of  Science  and  Art, 
EDINBURGH, 


KAHIK  i'  i.'JI|l»k'WOII 


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3IXT 


THE  PRICES  OBTAINED  FOR  GREAT  AUK  EGGS. 


109 


Manchester  Museum,  but  it  appears  that  this  e,g  has  now  been  lost,  and  also  a 
stuned  skin  of  Men  impmnis  that  was  purchased  along  with  the  e--  for  £13 
(Nee  page  95.)  "" 

othei  natural  history  objects  was  advertised  to  take  place  at  Dowell's  Auction 
looms,  Edinburgh,  an.l  among  others  who  received  a  catalogue  was  Mr.  Small 

b.rd-stuffer,  C.eorge  Street,  in  that  city.  He  visited  the  auction  rooms  previous' 
0  the  sale  and  examined  the  collection,  and  was  struck  with  the  appearance  of 

two  eggs  marked  ''  Penguin."     At  the  sale  he  bought  the  lot  which  comprised  the 

small  collection  of  eggs  for  £1,  ]2s. 

^'"^  *^^°  ;'«S^  having  been  examined  by  experts,  were  satisfactorily  proved 
to  be  those  of  the  Garefowl,  and  were  sent  to  Stevens's  Auction  llooms,  London 
during  the  following  J.ily,  when  they  were  sold  separately,  fetching  £100  and' 
£107  2s.,  the  purchaser  being  Lord  Lilford.     It  is  believed  that  these  specimens 
are  of  American  origin,  and  that  they  were  obtained  by  a  Dr.  Lister,  a  siLeon  in 
Uie  army,  and  presented  by  him  to  his  brother,  Mr.  Andrew  Lister,  wlio\ad  a 
natural  history  collection,  and  lived  in  Edinburgh.     On  his  decease  they  became 
the  property  of  another  brother,  Mr.  John  Lister,  advocate,  who  sold  them  to  Mr 
.Fohu  Murray,  S.SC    in  whose  possession  they  remained  about  twenty-five  years 
and  at   us  death  fe  1  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Murray,  W.S.,  by  whose  instrue- 
tions    hey  were  sold  at  Messrs.  DowelFs.     The  story  of  these  L  eg^s,  which 
probably  had  been  in  Edinburgh  nearly  sixty  years  previous  to  their  re-deuti  ca- 
n,  shows  tha    we  need  not  yet  lose  all  hope  of  a  few  stray  remains  of  the 
Garefowl  being  brought  to  light  in  the  future. 

^'ff  the  autumn  of  1883  Lord  Lilford  bouglit  another  egg  from  Mr.  G. 

under  £140     Ihisegg  was  obtained  from  the  Natural  History  Museum,  Lausanne 
see  Appendix  p.  28^     In  a  letter,  dated  Cth  February  ml  Mens.  Victor  ^1 
of  Gneva  informs  Mr.  It.  Champley  that  he  intends  shortly  to  write  a  paper 
ogarding  this  egg.     On  the  1st  March  1885  Mons.  Victor  Fatio  again  writL 
the  same  correspondent,  "  The  em r  No  o  ),,,„  ,„>„„   ,,•_       ,    ,  ,       " 
to  Mr  r    A   vLl    T      1  ,      "  <lisposed  of  by  a  great  mistake 

to  Mr.  G.  A.  Frank.  London,  in  exchange  for  a  bad  skin  of  a  (iorilla  and  a  few 
other  remains  of  little  value.    They  tell  me  that  Frank  has  resold  this  interesting 
specimen  at  a  very  high  price  in  London,  which  is  very  probable.      The  C      ^^ 
f  the  Museum   who  now  comprehends  the  great  mistake  he  committed,  is  full  0 
regret  that  he  had  not  studied  the  subject  more  carefully." 


^ 


I  ■ 

I 


>y 


H 


i 


I  10 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


Lord  Lilforil  has  liituly  succeuduJ  in  puruliasiny  au  egg  iu  Dorsetshiro,  wliich 
is  stated  to  be  unrecorded,  and  we  hear  his  lordship  intends  to  publish  parti- 
culars. The  following  infornialiou  regarding  this  spuciiuen  was  communicated 
by  Professor  Wh.  IJlasius  to  tiio  meeting  of  the  Natural  History  Societies  of 
Germany  at  Magdeburg  on  :i2d  September  1884.  Ho  said,  "Professor  A. 
Newton  of  Cambridge  informed  him,  on  19th  August  1884,  that  an  unrecorded 
egg  iiad  been  discovered  in  Dorsetsliire,  wliero  it  had  been  in  the  possession  of  a 
family  for  many  years,  and  is  believed  to  have  come  originally  from  Newfound- 
land. It  is  now  in  tlie  collection  of  Lord  Lilford,  and  Mr.  G.  A.  Frank  of 
London  informed  Professor  Dlasius  that  his  lordship  paid  £50  for  it."  Wo  may 
add,  what  probably  Professor  IJlasius  was  unaware  of,  tiiat  this  egg  was  offered 
iu  the  first  instance  to  the  authorities  at  the  British  Museum,  but  as  they  did 
not  wish  it,  Mr.  K.  Bowiiler  Sharpe  brought  it  under  the  notice  of  Lord  Lilford, 
who  succeeded  iu  acquiring  it  from  a  Mr.  Hill,  who  was  its  owner. 

At  the  Magdeburg  meeting  Professor  Wh.  Plasius  also  stated  that  two  eggs 
said  to  have  been  in  St.  Petersburg  are  not  now  known  there.  The  learned  Pro- 
fessor narrated  that  during  his  visit  to  Kussia  last  spring  (1884)  ho  made  every 
inquiry  for  Alcine  remains  in  Warsaw,  Kielf,  CharkolV,  Moscow,  and  St.  Peters- 
burg, but  found  none  with  the  exception  of  the  skin  in  St.  Petersburg,  which  he 
concludes  is  tiie  only  remains  of  Aim  impennis  in  the  great  Kussian  empire. 

As  we  have  gone  into  considerable  detail  regarding  the  value  of  the  eggs  of 
the  Great  Auk,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  that  we  should  refer  to  another  standard 
of  value  besides  rarity,  by  which  the  great  masses  of  the  public  who  never  heard 
of  such  a  bird  are  likely  to  estimate  their  worth.  Mr.  K.  Scot  Skirviug  tells  an 
amusing  story  that  well  illustrates  this. 

In  1880,  when  the  egL;s  that  were  sold  at  Dowell's  Kooms,  and  purchased  by 
Mr.  Small,  were  discovered  to  be  those  of  Aka  impenrds,  it  caused  some  excite- 
ment among  ornitholugists,  and  was  the  subject  of  general  conversation.  Mr. 
Skirviug  happened  to  mention  the  discovery  to  a  popular  Edinburgh  minister  and 
afterwards  to  a  well-known  newspaper  reporter,  and  as  neither  of  them  had  ever 
heard  of  such  a  bird  as  the  Great  Auk,  he  explained  to  them  as  well  as  was 
possible  in  a  few  words  what  it  was  like,  and  what  made  it  of  special  interest. 
Both  gentlemen  gave  him  the  same  look  of  pity,  and  curiously  enough  expressed 
themselves  iu  exactly  the  same  terras.  They  said,  "  But  the  eggs  are  of  no  use, 
they  will  never  hatch." 


:4W— 


^ 


RUMOURS  REGARDING  GREAT  AUK  EGGS. 


t  II 


f 


Rumours  rkoahding  Remains. 

When  the  announcement  was  made  in  the  magazines  and  newspapers  that 
two  esKs  of  the  Great  Auk  had  been  discovered  in  a  small  private  collection  of  cgRs 
purchased  at  a  public  sale  in  Kdinl.ursh  for  a  mere  trifle,  it  made  the  numerous 
lioarders  of  natural  history  objects  bo^-iu  to  examine  the  collections  of  birds'  egqs 
they  possessed,  which  in  many  instances  had  been  long  put  aside  and  forgotten. 
When  the  high  prices  which  the  eggs  fetched  in  London  became  known,  there  was 
a  rush   made  to  dealers  in   natural   history  wares  asking  for  information,  and 
remarkable  stories  were  told  of  how  Gr-at  Auk   eggs  had  been  given  away  by 
mistake  through  their  value  not  being  understood.     Much  labour  was  expended  in 
tracing  such  gifta  to  their  possessors,  in  the  hope  they  might  be  induced  to  pan 
with  them,  but  in  every  instance  that  we  know  of,  it  turned  out  that  the  e<r.s  in 
question  belonged  to  some  other  bird  of  the  Auk  tribe.     Since  that  time  ornitho- 
logists have  been  kept  continually  on  the  qui  vive  by  rumours  of  discoveries,  most 
of   which   have   prove.l   fallacious.     There   may,   however,  be  a   basis  for  some 
reports  that  have  got  abroad,  even  though  nothing  authentic  can  be  ascertained 
We  have  heard  that  a  skin  and  egg  of  Alca  impamis  exists  in  or  near  E.linbur^h 
but  the  result  of  inquiry  leads  us  to  believe  that  the  report  has  been  exa-erated,' 
as  It  has  passed  from  one  person  to  another,  and  that  the  only  ground  for  the  rumour 
IS  as  follows  .-—Some  time  ago  there  is  said  to  have  died  an  old  gentleman,  who  left  a 
most  valuable  collection  of  birds'  eggs,  which  were  obtained  by  him  many  rears  since 
probably  early  in  the  present  century.     Some  of  the  eggs  are  very  rare,  and  rumour 
asserts  there  is  among  them  one  of  the  Great  Auk.    This  collection  has  passe.l  into  the 
hands  of  a  gentleman  who  we  hear  is  supposed  to  be  not  fully  aware  of  their  value 
The  person  who  knows  him  will  not  divulge  his  name  for  some  private  reason  and 
as  even  this  individual  has  not  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  the  collection,  there 
is  no  certainty  that  the  egg  in  (luestion  really  exists. 

While  mentioning  tliese  vague  reports,  it  is  as  well  to  state  that  at  the  time 
of  the  discovery  of  the  two  eggs  purchased  in  Edinburgh  by  Mr.  Small,  a  rumour 
went  abroad  that  they  at  one  time  belonged  to  tiie  Dufresne  collection  that  was 
bought  by  some  members  of  the  Scnatus  of  the  University,  which  those  who 
narrate  the  story  say  contained  four  eggs  of  the  Great  Auk  at  the  time  it  came  to 
IldinbiTgh.  It  is  almost  certain  that  Dufresne  once  had  a  number  of  eggs  of  the 
Great. uk  in  his  possession"  at  Paris,  but  there  appears  to  be  not  the'^'slightest 

">  Idem,  p.  107. 


i 


w 


1) 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


proof  that  more  than  two  of  these  reached  Edinburgh.  Besides,  it  is  to  be  re- 
uieuibered  that  the  history  of  the  eggs  bought  by  Mr.  Small  lias  been  traced  baciv 
to  about  the  time  that  the  Dufresuo  collection  fouud  its  way  to  the  Modern 
Athens.'"  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  these  eggs  came  direct  from  New- 
foundland to  Britain,  so  the  rumour  seems  to  be  without  any  good  foundation. 


'     I 


1   I 


'hi 


if 


Imitation  Remains. 

Collectors  will  do  well  to  be  on  their  guard  against  purchasing  imitations  of 
Great  Auk  remains,  which  unprincipled  persons  have  been  known  to  prepare  with 
great  skill,  the  counterfeit  eggs  being  clever  copies  of  those  that  are  genuine.'^ 
It  is  only  right,  however,  that  we  should  mention  that  several  well-known  col- 
lectors have  either  manufactured,  or  had  prepared  for  their  own  gratilication, 
imitatious  of  the  skins  or  eggs  of  the  Great  Auk,  which  are  less  costly  than  the 
veritable  article ;  and  the  eggs,  being  exact  copies  of  specimens  in  various  collec- 
tions, have  a  certain  scieutillc  value.  A  writer  who  refers  to  this  subject,  says, 
"  The  best  casts  are  those  by  ilr  Hancock,  who  can  jjruduce  a  drawer  full  to  all 
appearance  of  veritable  Great  Auk's  eggs:  in  reality  thuy  are  all  shams  but  one, 
but  the  resemblance  is  so  perfect,  that  without  touching,  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  say  which  is  the  real  egg.  It  took  Mr.  Hancock  sixteen  days  to  colour  his 
l)]aster  imitation  of  the  egg  that  belonged  to  the  late  (thirteenth)  Karl  Derby,  which 
was  so  foul  when  he  received  it  that  it  had  to  be  washed."  '*  Mr.  II.  E.  Dresser 
says,  "  The  eggs  of  the  Great  Auk  measure  about  l^fj  inches  by  2|5  inches." 
However,  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  eggs  vary  in  si/e  and  markings,  us 
may  be  seen  by  the  figures  we  give  at  pa:^e  1U8,  which  are  exactly  the  natural 
size,  and  give  a  good  idea  of  the  usual  markings. 

"Mr.  .Masters,  of  Norwich,  possesses  an  imitation  (Jreat  Auk,  which,  I  am 
told,  is  very  good  ;  it  was  nuide  by  his  serviint,  Samuel  Bligh — tlie  bill  is  of 
wood.  Mr.  I'ructor,  of  Durham  University  Museum,  has  also  manufactured  a 
Great  Auk  (piite  recently.  The  black  parts  are  15runnick's  Guillemot,  and  the 
breast  is  a  Northern  Diver's  ;  and  this  lictitious  birJ  now  in  my  possession, 
contains  a  few  feathers  of  the  real  Great  Auk  in  the  vegi'in  of  the  neck." '''' 


»8  Hem,  p.  108. 

'"  "  rriioeeiliiiBs  of  Itiiyiil  .Sooii'ty,  K.liiihmsli,"  1.S7!)  Sl»,  \k  (WJ.     Mr.  U.  Gray. 

"  "liinlHDf  liuroiie."     Blr.  11.  K.  Dresser,  vol.  viii.  p.  W*\. 

'»  "Tlie  Zuulugist,"  April  ISd'.l,  p.  1(;43  ;  Sir.  J.  11.  Ciuniuy,  F.iJ.S. 


INFORMATION  REGARDING  IMITATION  REMAINS. 


"3 


In  tho  Diirnistadt  Museum  there  is  an  imitation  specimen,  the  only  part 
tliat  is  genuine  being  tiie  head ;  but  it  must  be  a  very  good  representation  of 
nature,  as  Baron  Edmond  de  .Selys-Longchamps,  Liege,  writes  concerning  it  in  a 
"  Note  sur  un  Voyage  Scientifique  "  in  tlie  "  Comptes  rendus  des  Suairces  de  ia 
Socidte  Entomologique  de  Belgique,  187G,"  7th  October,  p.  Ixx. :  "  A  splendid  Aka 
impcnnk,  witli  tlie  secondary  wings  well  fringed  with  white,  as  in  one  of  the  speci- 
mens in  the  British  Museum."  Tlie  baron  evidetitly  must  have  seen  it  at  a  distance 
tlirough  the  glass  of  the  case,  but  still,  it  shows  that  this  imitation  specimen  must 
be  a  very  clever  production  to  deceive  such  an  authority  on  Alcine  remains.'-" 

As  it  was  desirable,  if  possible,  to  obtain  further  information  as  to  the 
materials  of  which  this  imitation  specimen  was  constructed,  we  wrote  to  Professor 
G.  von  Kocii,  and  also  to  Professor  W.  Bhisius,  and  apparently  the  latter  had 
also  written  to  Professor  CI.  von  Koch,  for,  on  the  3d  September  1881,  he  wrote 
mfornnng  Professor  W.  Blasius  as  follows  :  "There  remains  part  of  the  skull  and 
one  half  of  the  bill,  which  are  genuine.  The  skin,  which  is  entirelv  imitation, 
is  constructed  with  feathers  of  Aim  tarda,  Cidipnh,,,  &c.  Professor  Koch  opened 
up  the  head  and  some  of  the  parts  of  the  (ironischeide)  hornsheath,  and  found 
the  bones  filled  up  with  agave  pulp  mixed  with  wax,  with  which,  also,  the  whole 
bill  was  covered.  The  skull  probably  proceeded  from  the  old  cabinet  of  Natural 
History,  where  it  had  once  belonged  to  a  stuffed  Aka  impmnis.  Kaup  caused 
the  genuine  skull  to  be  covered  over  with  wax,  and  tiien  stuck  over  with  sham 
feathers,  and  proceeded  in  this  way  until  the  complete  bird  was  formed." 

On  the  ;ilst  December  1881  Professor  G.  von  Koch  writes  us  as  follows  : 
"  The  specimen  of  the  Alca  impcnnis  in  the  Museum  has  been  opened  up  by  my 
directi<ms,  and  a  perfect  skull  has  been  found  in  it.  The  rest  is  badly  put  to- 
gether out  of  pieces  of  skins  of  Aim  tarda,  Cobjmbus  ijhtcinlis,  &c."  -' 


Illustrations  of  IJkmainm. 

The  illustrations  we  have  been  able  to  give,  we  hope  may  enable  ornitholo- 
gists to  avoid  imposition.  One  of  each  of  the  different  bones  of  the  Great  Auk 
found  in  Scotland  and  England  have  been  figured,  and  in  several  instances  the 


;-;»  For  re„,„rk,  «„  the  strnctmo  of  tl,c  ,l„.ll  of  tl,o  ..,«  „f  the  (iroat  Auk,  see  Appoulix  VII.,  „  40 
^^  ^^  Por  rcuurk,  uu  the  ,,08«b.Uty  of  mukiug  porceUiu  imitatio.m  of  lirout  Auk  e«g»,  see  Appendix  VIII., 


■mmm^ 


m 
lit 


lil 


114 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


same  bones  of  tlie  bird,  but  from  dififereiit  localities,  are  given.  We  regret  the 
number  of  bones  of  the  bird  is  so  small,  and  we  can  liokl  out  little  hope  that 
many  of  those  awanting  to  form  a  complete  skeleton  will  ever  be  found  in 
Britain,  as  it  will  be  noticed  that  among  the  tew  bones  discovered  there  are 
several  duplicates ;  and  also,  that  those  which  have  been  brought  to  light  are 
the  bones  in  the  body  of  the  bird  most  likely  to  resist  the  ravages  of  time.  The 
probability  seems  to  be  that  we  have  as  yet  only  come  across  the  last  traces  of  a 
bird  which  was  abundantly  represented  by  its  remains  at  the  time  such  places 
as  the  shell-mound  of  Caisteal-nan-Gillean  were  formed,  and  we  may  reasonably 
conclude  that  if  the  examination  of  similar  places  is  delayed  much  longer,  archao- 
logists  will  find  no  traces  of  this  extinct  bird  to  reward  their  labours." 


ii 

V 

! 

\k' 

J   ■ 

Mt 


(     I'S     ) 


CHAPTER  XII. 

USES  TO  WHICH  THE  GREAT  AUK  WAS  PUT  BY  MAN. 

^j^HAT  the  Gruat  Auk  was  good  to  eat  there  is  abundant  evidence,  and  that  its 
savounness  as  food  lias  been  known  from  early  times  is  shown  by  the 
remains  found  ,n  ancient  kitchen-middens  in  Europe  and  An.erica.  The  historical 
records  regardmg  the  voyages  to  North  American  waters  in  later  times,  give  cor- 
roborative testin.ony,  until  we  find  that  from  the  value  put  upon  the  bird  as  an 
article  c.i  food  it  was  extirpated  in  tliat  region  of  the  world 

•  >  '^^Z^^'''''\'^^^''''  ^^-''0  •'•'^iled  principally  from  Havre  de  Grace,  and  who 
visited  ^ew  oundland  to  fish  on  the  Banks,  depended  greativ  upon  the  Penguin 
or  Great  Auk  for  a  supply  of  food.  -     i 

A  Mr.  Anthonie  Parkhurst  writes  a  letter  from  liristow,  dated  15th  Novem- 
ber 1 0.8,  to  Mr.  Ilichard  Hakluyt,  of  the  Inner  Temple,^  in  which  he  says: 
ne  Frmchnni  that  fish  ueere  the  grand  buie  doc  brinff  small  store  of  flesh 
w^th  them,  hut  uctuall  themselves  aUea„s  wUh  these  hirdesr  There  is  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  they  were  able  to  keep  tiie  bodies  i.i  a  fresh  state  for  any 
ength  o  tnne,  and  from  the  notices  we  find  in  various  works  it  would  seem  that 
the  usual  and  generally  adopted  method  was  to  salt  them.  This  saltin.  was  a 
simple  process,  if  we  take  the  following  statement  made  by  Mr.  Edward  Haies.^as 
correct:  It  ts  stated  the  Frenehmea  harrell  them  vp  with  salt."  This  mode  of 
curing  was  evidently  continued  as  long  as  any  Garefowls  could  be  obtained  and 
was  practised  in  Europe*  as  well  as  America. 

A  Mr.  George  Gartwright,  who  writes  in  his  diary  ^'  about  Funk  Island  and 

he     enguins,  under  the  date  Tuesday,  5tii  July  1785,  says-"  The  birds  which 

the  people  bring  from  thence  tliey  salt  and  eat  in  lieu  of  salted  pork."     It  was 


>  ;;"»|'l«yt;«  yoynge.,,-  vnl.  iii.,  pp.  172,  17;,.    i„„„,„      j,;„„ 
iiiiKiiiyt.s  Vovnircs     vol    iii     n    701       »'i?,.     *    e 
yeere  of  „„,•  I,or,l  l,5H;i,  by  si,-  Ilunn.hrev  (  ill.ert   knl'   1    ,"  '"■{'^'^^  '!'«  '''''''»  *•••«••->'>?.  attempted  in  the 


gnu 


w 


it6 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


lip' 


m 


m 


not  long  after  tliis  time  that  the  Garefowl  became  exceedingly  scarce  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Xewfoundhuul ;  and  no  wonder,  for  tlie  writer  we  have  just 
referred  to,  on  the  same  page  from  wliich  we  quote,  states  that  "  the  poor  inliabi- 
tants  of  Fogo  Island  make  voyages  there  to  load  with  birds  and  eggs.  When 
the  water  is  smooth  they  make  their  shallop  fast  to  the  shore,  lay  their  gang- 
boards  I'roin  the  gunwale  of  the  boat  to  the  rocks,  and  then  drive  as  many 
I'enguins  on  board  as  she  will  hold,  for  the  wings  of  these  birds  being  remarkably 
short  they  cannot  fly.  But  it  has  been  customary  of  late  years  for  several  crews 
(if  men  to  live  all  summer  on  that  island,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  killing  birds  for 
the  sake  of  their  feathers :  the  destruction  which  they  have  made  is  incredible. 
If  a  stop  is  not  soon  put  to  that  practice  the  whole  breed  will  be  diminished  to 
almost  nothing,  particularly  the  Penguins,  for  this  is  now  the  only  island  they 
have  left  to  breed  upon."  As  the  result  has  proved,  what  Mr.  (leorgo  Cartwright 
foresaw  in  178r)  has  unfortunately  been  accomplished  more  thoroughly  than 
probably  he  thought  possible. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  practice  of  salting  the  Great  Auk  being  practised 
in  Europe,  and  we  tind  it  referred  to  in  connection  with  the  descent  made  upon 
the  Geirfuglasker  off  Iveykjanes,  Iceland,  by  the  crew  of  the  schooner  Faroe 
during  July  181:3,  and  it  is  stated  that  when  they  reached  Ileykjavik  they  had 
twenty-four  (iarefowls  on  board,  besides  munbers  that  had  been  salted.* 

It  is,  however,  to  the  American  locality  we  have  to  go  for  most  ot  our 
information  regardiug  the  uses  to  which  the  Garefowl  was  put,  as  the  birds  in 
early  times  occurred  there  in  such  numbers. 

In  the  year  ]~>[\)  one  of  the  early  voyagers  mentions  the  loading  of  his  two 
vessels  with  dead  I'enguins  in  less  than  half-an-huiir,  and  states  that  besides 
what  were  eaten  fresh  there  were  four  or  five  tons  of  them  to  put  in  salt.  We 
can  easily  imagine  that  these  early  voyagers  would  use  as  many  of  the  birds  as 
possible  in  a  fresh  stale,  as  these  would  afford  tlii'm  a  pleasant  ami  healthful 
change  of  diet  after  the  salted  lood  they  would  re(iuiie  to  live  on  when  crossing 
the  Atlantic,  which  took  much  longer  then  than  it  does  now. 

We  must  remember,  too,  that  the  ships  were  sometimes  for  long  periods 
fishing  on  the  banks  to  get  a  cargo,  from  which  circumstance  fresh  food  became 
almost  a  necessity. 

It  ap})ears  that  there  were  diflerent  ways  of  preparing  the  bodies  of  the  birds 

*  Mr.  J.  WoUey's  "Researches,"  Ibis,  vul.  iii.,  18(il,  p|i.  3S4-38(i. 


GAREFOWL  ECONOMICS. 


117 


uitlier  for  eating  fresh  or  salting ;  but  this  probably  was  not  so  much  from  any 
<lifrerence  in  the  flavour  given  to  the  carcass  by  the  mode  of  getting  rid  of  its  outer 
covering,  as  from  the  feathers  in  the  early  times  being  of  almost  no  marketable 
value,  while  in  later  times  they  became  an  important  factor  in  the  traffic  in  its 
remains.  As  we  have  not  met  with  any  notice  by  the  early  writers  that  refers 
specially  to  this  point,  we  have  to  draw  inferences  from  some  statements  they 
make  when  referring  to  the  slaughters  of  the  renguitis. 

When  Mr.  llobert  Hore  and  other  gentlemen  visited  the  Penguin  Island 
(situated  off  the  southern  coast  of  Newfoundland)  in  the  year  1536,  tliey  captured 
many  Penguins  (see  p.  0),  and  he  says; — "  Thcfoules  the;/  p.ad,  and  their  skinnes 
were  ra-y  like  honi/  comics  full  of  holes."  He  does  not  tell  us  how  they  flceul 
the  Penguins,  but  as  he  does  not  refer  to  the  feathers,  we  think  we  may  reasonably 
conclude  that  the  skin  and  feathers  were  oast  aside  as  useless,  for  if  it  had  been 
otherwise,  this  writer,  who  gives  minute  particulars  of  what  he  and  his  friends 
saw  and  did,  would  have  been  almost  certain  to  have  mentioned  it.  In  later 
times,  when  the  feathers  became  an  article  of  marketable  value,  the  Penguins  were 
in  greater  retpiest  than  ever ;  and  it  seems  that  the  feathers  were  at  the  period 
referred  to  the  most  valuable  portion  of  its  body,  though  the  carcasses  were  also 
in  demand  as  food.  The  i)rocess  by  which  the  feathers  were  detached  from  the 
skin  was  by  the  parboiling  of  the  dead  birds,  and  as  there  was  no  wood  on  Funk 
Island  with  which  to  feed  the  fires  required  to  boil  the  water,  the  Penguin  hunters 
used  the  fat  bodies  of  the  birds  as  fuel,  and  in  tliis  way  consumed  many  carcasses. 
(See  p.  30.) 

"We  are  told  by  perhaps  rather  a  doubtful  authority,  Audubon,  that  some 
fishermen  he  met  in  Labrador  told  him  tliat  great  numbers  of  the  young  of  the 
Penguin  were  used  for  bait  (see  p.  7) ;  and  he  says  this  information,  along  with 
the  statement  that  the  bird  still  bred  (in  1838)  on  a  low  rocky  island  to  the  south- 
east of  Newfoundland,  was  co.!Toborated  by  several  individuals  in  that  country. 
Prom  what  is  now  known,  it  seems  almost  certain  that  Audubon  was  misinformed. 
Another  author,  Sir  Ilichard  lionnycastle,  writing  in  181-2,'  refers  to  a  trade  in  the 
eggs  and  .skin ;  he  say.s,  "The  large  A\d<  or  Penguin  (AIca  impennis,  L.),  ^x]nc]l 
not  filty  years  ago  was  a  sure  sea-mark  on  the  edge  of  and  iii.side  the  Banks,  has 
totally  disappeared,  from  the  rutldess  trade  in  its  eggs  and  skin." 

Mr.  Itobert  Gray,    F.K.S.K.,  mentions  that  in   a    letter  received   from    Dr. 


'  "  Newfoundlftml  in  1842,"  vol.  i.  p.  23L'. 


I       1 

1 
\ 

1 

1 

i 

1 

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1; 
) 

X 

n\- 


ii8 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


William.  Auderaou,  Heart's  Content,  that  gentleman  states  he  was  informed  by 
Joseph  Bartlett,  "that  he  had  often  heard  his  father,  who  died  in  1871  at  the  age 
of  seventy,  speak  of  the  I'inwiiij:,  and  that  crews  occasionally  got  on  the  Funks,  built 
enclosures,  lit  tires,  and  burnt  the  birds  to  death  for  pure  mischiel."  Several  other 
aged  masters  of  fishing  vessels,  who  have  been  spoken  to  by  Dr.  Anderson, 
recollect  perfectly  hearing  their  fathers  refer  to  both  birds  and  eggs  which  they 
had  taken ;  and  Mr.  Smith  especially  referred  to  the  egj;s  being  of  one  pint 
capacity,  and  the  feathers  of  the  bird  being  of  considerable  sharpness,  readily 
pricking  the  skin  and  causing  festering.  None  of  the  aged  people,  however, 
examined  by  Dr.  Anderson,  seemed  to  be  able  to  fix  a  precise  date  for  the 
Penguins'  disappearance  from  the  Newfoundland  habitats."  *'  Writing  of  Iceland, 
Eggert  Olafsson  says,  "  The  bird  is  very  fat,  has  flabby  flesh,  and  makes  right 
good  eating."  The  same  author  mentions  "  that  the  gullet  and  stomach  of  the 
Great  Auk  were  turned  to  account  by  tlic  fishermen,  who  prepared  them  as 
bladders,  filled  them  with  air,  and  used  them  as  floats." " 

The  eg<,'s  of  this  bird  appear  to  have  been  in  great  request  in  this  locality,  for 
an  author  who  wrote  about  the  midille  of  last  century  mentions  as  follows, 
regarding  the  bird  rocks  or  Geirfuglasker  off  Cape  Reikenes  (i.e.  Ileykjanes) : — 
"  The  inhabitants  at  a  certain  season  go  to  these  island.s,  though  the  expedition  is 
very  dangerous,  to  seek  after  the  eggs  of  this  bird,  of  which  they  bring  home  a 
cargo  in  a  boat  big  enough  for  eight  men  to  row."  " 

However  curious  the  foregoing  details  regarding  the  uses  to  which  the  body  of 
the  Cireat  Auk  was  put  may  be,  the  informatiun  wo  have  to  give  regarding  St.  Kilda 
is  more  cuiious  still.  On  such  an  isolated  island  as  llirta,  better  known  as  St.  Kilda, 
where  mankind  must  utilise  all  the  advantages  that  Nature  gives  them  to  the  fullest 
extent  if  they  are  to  keep  bare  life  within  them,  it  would  be  astonishing  if  the 
islanders  had  not  found  out  some  curious  use  for  some  portion  of  the  Great  Auk's 


"  "Paper  on  two  unrecorded  K(.'r»  of  tlie  (ireKt  Auk,"  by  Mr.  Robert  Urty,  F.R.S.E.  " Proceeding!! 
Itoynl  Society  of  KiiinburKli,"  Session  1.'<"'.I-H(),  p.  ti'S. 

'  "  Iteisc  igiunneni  Islaml,"  Travels  in  (or  tlirougliout)  Icolanil.  Kggcrt  Olafsnon  and  lijnrnc  Povelsen, 
jiuMislied  lit  Some,  Denmark,  177-. 

*  "  Natural  HiNtory  of  Iceland,  &e,"  liy  N.  llorrcliow,  London,  17W.  With  regard  to  wliat  this  author 
savH,  we  may  mentii>n  tliat  owing  to  the  violent  liiist  that  runs  betwicn  the  niainlanil  and  these  islands  it 
would  be  necessary  to  visit  the  (Jeirfu^lasker  in  a  large  boat;  but  from  what  is  known  of  the  numbers  of 
the  (Jarefowl  that  existed  at  this  jplace  about  the  middle  of  last  century  the  cargo  of  eggs  to  which  lie 
refers  must  have  been  a  very  small  one,  unless  we  suppose  there  is  a  mistake  in  the  Knglish  translation  of 
his  work  (which  is  not  to  be  depended  upon).  It  is  quite  probable,  if  ilorrelMiw  means  a  full  cargo  of  sea-birds 
eggs,  that  his  statement  is  correct.     (See  p.  I'J.) 


I 


ST.  KILDA. 


119 


body.  Besides  using  its  flesh  and  egg  they  appear  to  have  utilised  it8  stomach, 
which,  from  being  move  capacious  than  that  of  any  other  fowl  frequenting  the 
island,  was  most  suitable  for  their  purpose.  We  feel  sure  it  would  puzzle  most  of 
our  readers  what  that  purpose  could  be ;  but  wo  shall  give,  in  his  own  words,  the 
narration  of  the  author  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  information : " 

"  ////■/«,— Tlio  island  of  Hirta  of  all  tho  isles  about  Scotland  lyetli  fartliost  out  into 
the  sea,  is  very  mountainous,  and  not  accessible  but  by  climbing.  It  is  incredible  what 
number  of  fowls  frequent  the  rocks  tliere ;  so  far  as  we  can  see  tho  sea  is  covered  with 
tliem,  and  when  they  rise  they  darken  the  sky,  they  are  so  numerous ;  they  are  ordinarily 
catclied  tliis  way :  a  man  lies  upon  liis  back  witli  a  long  jwle  in  his  hand,  and  knocketh 
them  down  as  tliey  fly  over  him.  Tliere  bo  many  sorts  of  these  fowls ;  some  of  them  of 
strange  shapes,  among  which  there  is  one  they  call  the  Gare-fowl,  which  is  bigger  than  any 
goose,  and  hatli  eggs  as  big  almost  as  those  of  tlie  ostrich.  Among  tlie  other"  commodities 
they  export  out  of  the  island  this  is  none  of  tlu'  meanest. 

"  Tliey  take  the  fat  of  these  fowls  tiiat  frequent  the  island  and  stulf  tlie  stomach  of  tliis 
fowl  with  it,  wliich  they  preserve  by  hanging  it  near  the  chimney,  where  it  is  dried  with 
the  smoke,  and  tlicy  sell  it  to  their  neighbours  on  the  Continent  as  a  remedy  they  use  for 
nches  and  jjains."  ■" 

The  worthy  knight  who  gave  tiiis  narration  to  the  autiu)r  we  havo  (juoted 
evidently  had  vague  ideas  of  the  size  of  the  egg  of  the  Great  Auk ;  but  our 
author  appears  to  iiave  been  aware  or  this,  for  in  a  later  work  "  he  places  tlie 
Great  Auk  among  birds  of  wliicli  he  desires  a  more  accurate  description.  We 
give  the  writer's  own  words — 

Caput  VII. 

_       "I3e  avibus  ciuilnisdam  apud  nos  quae  incerta;  classes  sunt,  ([uarum  proinde  descriii- 
tiones  accuratus  dcsidoro. 

"Avis  Garo  dicta,  Corvo  Marino  Similis,  ovo  maximo." 

With  regard  to  tlio  other  matters,  however,  ho  seems  to  liave  been  pretty 
correct ;  and  we  get  some  further  information  about  tiie  use  of  the  fat  or  giben 
from  Martin,'-  which  is  interesting.  He  tells  us  that,  "  Tiiis  nibai  is  by  daily 
experience  found  to  be  a  sovereign  remedy  for  tlie  healing  of  green  wounds,"  .'cc. 


M-r/  ".^",t°°T"''.'' ',.""■•"  "'"'  '^"""  "'™"  *"  •'^'''  ""''"•'^  '^'"'''"'''  ''>■  ""■  '■"■■''  H-Ki'ter,  Sir  (icor-e 
M  Konzie  of  l,ul,at,  W  0  quoto  fn,m  John  I'inkcrton's  "(iwieral  CoHectimis  .,f  V„v.gc.s"iml  Travels  •  vol 
111.  4to.,  I.uiuloii,  ISO!). 

'»  Sil)l.;ail,  MSS.,  y;!,  :i,  2.     .\clvociite»'  Liluary,  Kcliiilmr(;li. 

"  "  Do  Aiiimulilms  .Scotiiu."    I'Miiiljiiigli.  ll)H4.  p.  L'i 

'=  "A  V,iy:ige  to  .St.  Kililii,"l)y  .M,  Martin,  l(i!l,s. 


mm^ 


I   I" 


130 


GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


SSH 

&c.  "  They  boil  the  sea  plants,  (hilar  and  slake,  melting  the  gibcu  upon  them 
instead  of  butter.  .  .  .  They  use  this  j^iben  with  their  fish,  and  it  is  become  the 
common  vehicle  that  conveys  nil  their  food  down  their  throats." 

It  appears  that  the  '^Ihcn  was  used  as  a  universal  medicine,  and  that  it  was 
composed  of  only  the  fat  of  their  sea-fowls,  which  Wfis  stuffed  into  the  stomach 
of  a  bird.  In  olden  time  wlien  tlie  Garefowl  were  plentiful  it  was  that  internal 
organ  of  these  birds  which  was  generally  used,  but  in  later  times  it  became  cus- 
tomary to  use  the  same  organ  of  the  Solan  (loose  or  Gannet,  which  remains 
the  practice  until  now.  The  St.  Kildeans  find  a  use  for  almost  every  part  of 
the  birds  they  kill,  and,  as  mentioned  (at  page  70),  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
employing,  along  with  the  remains  of  other  sea-fowl,  the  bones  of  the  Great  Auk 
for  mimuring  the  portion  of  the  island  that  they  cultivate. 

The  time  has  passed  for  ever  when  the  Great  Auk  or  its  remains  can  form 
an  important  item  in  the  trade  of  nations ;  but  the  skins,  bones,  and  eggs  of  this 
bird,  whicli  have  realised  large  prices  within  recent  years,  will  make  for  it  a 
greater  celebrity  in  the  future,  from  the  immense  value  that  attaches  to  them  ; 
and  weight  for  weigiit  tliey  will  exceed  by  many  times  the  worth  of  even 
gold.  The  craze  of  private  individuals  to  hoard  up  objects  and  remains  which 
can  only  be  accessible  to  students  in  the  public  museums  of  our  great  cities, 
is  to  be  sincerely  regretted ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  possessors  of  the 
remains  of  the  Great  Auk,  seeing  such  remains  are  so  scarce,  will  show  their 
public  spirit  by  becoming  benefactors,  and  placing  them  where  they  can  be 
seen  and  appreciated  by  the  poor  naturalist  or  arclueologist,  as  well  as  the  rich 
commoner  or  noble  lord.'' 

"  In  those  pages  wo  several  times  have  the  pleasure  of  inentioniii);  donations  of  Aleine  remains  to  our 
museums,  but  we  may  well  call  special  attention  to  the  groat  generosity  displayed  by  John  Hancock,  Ksi|., 
to  the  Museum  Newoastle-on-Tyne.     His  good  example  is  worthy  of  being  followed. 


(       '2'       ) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SOME  NAMES  BY  WHICH  THE  GREAT  AUK  HAS  BEEN  KNOWN. 

TN  almost  every  country  inhabited  by  tlie  Great  Auk  it  appears  to  have  had 
J-  diflerent  names,  or  a  different  mode  of  pronouncing  and  spelling  the  names 
was  adopted,  and  in  several  instances  it  had  more  than  one  name  hi  the  same 
locality.  This  has  rendered  it  somewhat  difficult  for  writers  who  have  written 
about  the  bird  to  note  all  its  occurrences,  as  they  have  not  always  been  able  to 
reco-nise  it  under  strange  names  with  which  they  were  unfamiliar.  It  seems 
generally  to  have  received  its  appellation  from  some  peculiarity,  or  habit  of  life, 
whicli  became  the  distinguishing  feature,  by  which  it  was  known  to  the  human 
inhabitants  of  the  lands  the  bird  visited ;  and  in  giving  it  a  name  they  seem  to 
have  sought  to  use  expressions  that  referred  to  this  distinguishing  peculiarity  or 
habit.  For  instance,  the  Gre^jnlander  called  it  Esarokitsok,'  or  tiie  Little  Wing, 
from  tile  smallness  of  its  wings  and  its  being  unable  to  fly.  It  is  rather  remark- 
able that  though  the  name  Geirlugl  is  of  Scandinavian  origin,  it  does  not  appear  that 
the  Norwegians  ever  had  a  name  for  Alca  impennis  that  is  attested  on  undoubted 
authority.  The  name  Geirfwjla  occurs  in  "  Tiie  Old  Laws  of  Norway,"  =  but  clearly 
refers  to  the  Geirfulkar  {Fulco  gyrfuko,  Linn.),  the  Gyr-talcon.'' 

In  answer  to  our  inquiries,  Herr  A.  Lorange,  of  Bergen,  kindly  informs  us 
"  that  the  diflerent  records  of  the  occurrence  of  the  Geirlugl  at  the  Norwegian 
coasts  during  tiie  last  two  centuries  are  not  to  be  relied  upon,  and  that  not  Tven 
in  liistoric  times  has  the  Geirlugl  been  seen  tliere  by  any  naturalist,  or  mentioned 
m  any  authentic  account."  This  is  the  statement  of  a  competent  autliority ;  and 
we  might  pass  from  further  consideration  of  the  Norwegian  names  for  Alca  im- 


\  "F;"";'  llroclamlica."  Otl.o  Kubricius  "  Hafnia;  et  Leipsa,,"  1780,  p.  82.   Cnu>tz'»  Greenl.  vol.  i.  p.  82. 
(various  ."''.lin^r'  "'"'''     '  ^  "'  ^''^''"''  "'"^  ^'  '^^  """"''•    <-''"'^''"""''  ^''^<^'  -»'•  «•  I  ■>' I 

ti„„l!u>''r'"r';;''"'''''  "''  f "'"''  !''■'•  ^^''"^'''"'  '^"■'•-■■"'"■"P  «-M.resses  the  opinio,,  that  Gcir  i„  this  connec. 

SiTi^L's  ^;::t:^r  ■  ^thrt""^""'  --''"'  ^"' '- '-'-' ''"-  ^'-^  ^''"  ^-'  ^^'--  -  --•^-  -^^ '» 


'    ;i 


122 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


m 


1     i. 
1# 


im 


n  ■'■ 


pennis,  if  it  wore  not  that  several  names  said  to  have  been  used  in  Norway  aro 
mentioned  by  different  writers,  and  it  is  necessary  to  refer  to  their  statements. 
H.  Striini  *  says, — "  Anglemai^er  is  the  name  ;,'iven  to  a  black  and  white  sea-bird, 
in  form  rcscmblini/  the  Alcii,  but  twice  as  largo,  and  with  a  longer  beak.  It  is 
distinguished  by  a  white  spot  near  each  eye  and  by  its  very  short  wings,  so  tiiat 
it  sliould  certainly  be  called  Pingwin,  or  Anser  Magellanicus  autliorum.  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  seen  this  bird  cited  by  Norwegian  authors,  with  tlie  excep- 
tion of  Lucas  Debes,  who  calls  it  Pingwin  or  Goifugl,  and  says  that  it  is  rare  at 
the  Faroe  Islands.  (Professor  Stceustrup  says,  '  Here  begins  confusion  with 
Harelda  glncialis,  the  name  of  which  is  Amjlamahi:')  On  tiie  otiier  hand,  it  is 
tolerably  common  with  us.  It  appears  in  the  bays  as  well  as  on  the  high  sea  in 
large  numbers  at  the  beginning  of  the  spring  fishing,  crying  continually,  '  aangla,' 
as  if  to  tell  the  fishers  to  get  ready  their  auf/lcr  (honks),  and  that  is  why  our 
fishers  have  called  it  Angleniager."  M.  Victor  Fatio  ^  says,  "  According  to  Strom, 
it  (Aim  i )ii2>e II n is)  was  called  Angleniager  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sondmore ; 
but  I  ought  to  remark  that  in  this  transference  of  the  name  from  the  Alca  tarda 
(IJazorbill)  (sic,  should  be  Ilavetlen  or  ILmida  ghwialis)  to  the  Aim  impennis 
(Great  Auk),  there  is  without  doubt  more  than  one  mistake." 

Professor  A.  Newton  translates  AnijlciiKujfi;  book-maker  (literally  Angle- 
maker),  but  expresses  doubt  as  to  its  being  a  name  for  the  Alca  impcnnis,  and 
is  inclined  to  sujipose  it  to  have  been  applied  to  the  Harelda  ijlaciidis  (Longtailed 
Duck)  of  modern  naturalists.  * 

Brunnicli^  gives  the  name  llrilhfiKjl  iov  the  (Iroat  Auk,  which  means  the 
spectacle  bird,  or  the  bird  with  tlie  glasses,  from  the  white  patches  on  each  side 
of  the  head  in  front  of  the  eyes.  Tiiis  name  was  never  known  in  Norway,  and 
appears  to  have  been  invented  by  the  Danish  naturalist  himself.  Herr  I'reyer* 
says,  "Brillefugl  is  a  Danisli  name  for  tiie  Cireat  Auk."  This  is  also  a  mistake, 
unless  he  merely  nuiins  it  was  a  name  used  by  P>runnieli. 

Pennant"  mentions  Ficcrt  as  a  Norwegian  name  fur  Alca  itnpcnnis  upon  the 
authority  of  a  Dr.  fEdman,  but  evidently  this  gentleman  has  been  under  a  misap- 
prehension regarding  the  use  of  the  name.     The  nearest  approach  to  the  word 


*  11.  strum,  "Pliysii'al  iiml  Kooiioriiic:!!  Di'si'iiptioii  of  Honiliiiure  (iioar  Aiilesund,  west  cuast  of  N'orway). 
ill  the  I)(-i)artiiieiit  of  )iLTj;eii,  X(jr\vuy,''  priiiteil  at  Soroe  in  Dc-nntaik.  1"(»2,  vol.  i.  p.  221. 

'  "  IlullL'tin  (le  la  Smictu  Oinithologiciue  Suissi',"  toiiiu  ii.  1"  jiart,  p.  V>  (footnote). 
«  "Natural  History  Heview,"  lS(),j,  pp.  ItiK,  470. 
'  "Arct.  Zool."  vol.  ii.  p.  220. 

*  "Ueher  I'lautua  IrnpciiiiiB,"  p.  17. 

'  I'eiinaut  »  "  liritisli  Zoology,"  vol.  ii,  |i.  14(j. 


THE  NAME  GAREFOWL. 


123 


that  we  have  been  able  to  find  in  either  Icelandic,  Norse,  or  Danish  diction- 
aries, are  the  Danisii  words  Yyxvt,  imlitnm,  and  fjicrte,  ^)«(^;t ;  but  some  writers 
liave  supposed  that  the  name  has  been  derived  from  Flank,  meaning  simpleton, 
sot,  silly  man.  In  the  course  of  our  search  for  further  information  regarding  the 
use  of  Fiwrt,  we  discovered  in  an  old  Norse  dictionary  (in  which, "it  is  stated, 
are  "  shortly  set  forth  various  Norse  glosses  of  daily  phrases,  the  wonderful  native' 
names  of  fishes,  birds,  and  beasts,  along  witli  various  proverbs,"  &c.)  the  word 
Fimrskiit,  or  in  modern  spelling  FjcvrslAJt,  which  is  said  to  be  the  name  given  to 
some  small  grey  birds  that  run  forward  with  the  ebb  in  the  expectation  "of  feed- 
ing themselves  on  the  sea-weed  that  lies  on  the  rocks.  They  obtain  their  name 
from  their  dirtying  of  the  bea 

As  we  were  anxious  to  get  all  possible  information  upon  the  subject,  we 
communicated  with  Ilerr  A.  Lorange  of  Bergen,  who,  under  the  date  of  12th 
March  1881,  kindly  informed  us.  "that  Dr.  CEdman  was  probably  Johan  (Edman, 
author  of  '  Chomgrapliia  Balmensis,'  published  at  Stockholm  in  174G,  who  was 
not  a  critical  man.  He  was  a  Swede,  and  not  a  Norwegian.  His  statement  that 
Fiiert  at  any  time  has  been  a  Norwegian  name  for  the  Geirfwjl  is  a  complete 
niisunderstanding.  From  Strom  '"  we  learn  that  the  name  Fjiert,  or  r.aare= 
Fja-rt,  on  the  coast  sumdinus  is  given  to  the  Alca  alle,  Linn.,  the  Merynlus  alh, 
Kay  (Little  Auk).  This  designation  is  not  now  known  even  in  Sondmore.  In 
Tontoppidau"  the  same  bird  is  called  Bocfjwr.  •  FJwir'—iha.t  part  of  a  shore 
where  the  tide  water  is  going  up.  Fiante  is  a  misreading.  FJarsIddt,  mentioned 
by  you  from  an  old  dictionary,  is  the  fisherman's  expression  for  the  Trini/a  maritinia 
(Purple  Sandpiper).  This  dictionary  of  Christen  Jenson,  priest  at  Askevold  near 
Bergen,  is  a  lihcr  rurimmus,  and  was  printed  (by  Halm)  at  Copenhagen  in  IGIG." 

The  "  Garefowl,"  or  "  Gairfowl,"  is  the  name  by  which  the  natives  of  tliu 
Western  Isles  of  Scotland  must  have  known  it  for  many  centuries,  and  is  the 
name  used  by  Professor  Newton  in  his  invaluable  papers  regarding  the  history  of 
the  bird.  AVe  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  name  is  of  Scandinavian  origin, 
and  that  it  is  part  of  the  rich  legacy  of  natiios  of  places,  and  things  animate  an.l 
inanimate,  left  by  the  Scandinavian  invaders  of  Western  Scotland,  who,  under 
the  names  of  Danar  or  Danes,  Dubh  Guills,  or  Black-haired  Gaills,  Finn  Gaills, 
or  White-haired  (Jaills— the  latter  supposed  to  be  Norwegians,  and,  perhaps,  also 


'»  "  Pl.ysicl  an,l  KcuimniicMl  Desc.ii.tioii  of  Suiuln.iire "  (near  Aalcsuiul,  west  coast  of  Norway),  ,.rintt..l 
at  Some  in  Dciiinink,  17(iL'.  •'     ' 

"  "  Natiinil  History  of  Norway."    Copeiiliagi-n,  i;".;;. 


124 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


% 


Swedes — bcf,'nn  their  depredations  about  tlie  year  79 1  A.n. ;  and,  after  lonf^  exercis- 
ing by  their  raids  a  terrorism  over  the  Celtic  population  of  the  I.sles,  and  especially 
over  the  inhabitants  of  the  ecclesiastical  settlements  (these  being  the  chief  objects 
of  their  cupidity),  ultimately  settled  down  into  the  possession  of  the  Hebrides  as 
conquerors,  occupying  that  position  until,  in  July  1206,  these  islands  once  more 
returned  to  the  Scottish  rule.  Thoui,'h  it  is  almost  certain  tliat  this  name  came 
to  us  from  the  Scandinavians,  it  is  not  quite  so  easily  determined  from  what  par- 
ticular habit  or  appearance  of  tlio  bird  they  gave  it  the  name;  and  on  this  point 
there  is  a  difference  of  opinion,  though  all  seem  to  be  at  one  in  the  buliof  that 
such  variations  as  Goirfugel,''"'  fiarfogel,'''  Goifugl,"  Avis  (Sarfahl,"  Gaarfuglur,'* 
Gyr-v-Gcyrfugl,"  Gorfuglir,'"  Garfowl,'"  (Jeyer-fogel.^"  Gairfowl,"'  Garefowl," 
Avis-Gare,"  Gare-Fowle,'*  Cioifugol ,'■'■'  Geirfugl,'"  Geir,"  Gar-fowl/"  Goirfugl  and 
Gaarfugl,*'  are  all  derived  from  one  common  origin. 

The  late  Dr.  John  Alexander  Smith,  in  his  first  paper  on  tlie  Great  Auk,'" 
states  that  Geyrfugl  is  the  name  by  which  the  bird  is  known  in  Iceiaiul.  He 
says,  "  Geyr  is  the  Icelandic  for  a  spear,"  and  goes  on  to  state  that  the  terms 
Gcyr-fwjP^  may  mean  the  bird  with  tlie  spear-like  beak,  or  it  may  refer  to  the 


lj!f 


i| 


I-. 


IM' 


'2  Onirfugel.     "  Kxoticoriim  Dcci'in  Liliri,"  CaroliiB  ('hmius.     Lcyden,  1605,  p.  ;M17. 

"  Garfogel.     "  Debcs  Fiuroa  Ki'Heriitii,"  piihlislieil  in  l('i7.1. 

'♦  Goifuijl.     "  Synopsis  Metliwlicii  Avium  et  Pisoiuni,"  .I(jlin  Kay,  Londun,  1713. 

"  Aiit  GarfiM.  "  Burtliol.  Act,"  p.  Ill,  referred  to  by  Ciirolus  Mnn.iius.  " Fiiunu  .Snecicii,  I.ugduni." 
BntRvorum,  174<!. 

"  (laarfuijlur.     "  Lunilt  Benkrivelse,  over  I'icrocerne,"  publiiilicil  1800. 

"  Oijr-vOeyrfuijl.  These  names  are  given  by  I'l'iinant  as  beinj;  used  in  Iceland  :  "  Rritisli  Zoology," 
vol.  ii.  p.  140. 

"  Oiirfuglir.    The  name  (jiven  to  tlie  I'.ird  in  the  Fiiroe  Isles  ("Nat.  Hist.  Heview,"  1S6.'),  p.  47.')). 

"  CMrfotel.    I'rofessor  Htecnstnip  in  litt.  Sth  April  1««2. 

•"  (leyer-fogil.  "  A  .**hort  American  Tramp  in  the  fall  of  1R6-4."  Campbell.  This  writer  probably  siielt 
the  name  from  memory,  as  wt;  have  not  mot  with  this  mode  of  spelling'  in  any  other  work  we  have  ctmsulteil. 

-'  Gairfowl.     "  Voyage  to  .St.  Kilda."  M.  Martin,  flentleman.     1(>!W,  p.  27. 

•^  Garefou;!.  "  A  Description  of  St.  Kilda,"  by  the  Kev.  Alexander  liuchan,  minister  there  from  1708 
to  about  17.S0,  published  by  his  daughter,  1773.  Slost  of  the  book  is  made  up  of  e.xtracts  from  Martina 
"Voyage,"  1C'J8. 

'^  Avis-Garc      "Pe  .Animalibus  Scotia',"  .Sir  Robert  SIblmld.     Kdinburgh,  1(184,  vol.  ii.  p.  'J*.'. 

^*  Gare-Foirle.     .Sibbahl,  MSS. ,  Xi,  3,  2.     Advocates'  Library,  Kdinbuigh. 

'•"  Giii/iKiel.     "Synopsis  Methodica  Avium  et  riscium,'"  by  .lobn  Kay.     London,  1713. 

*i  Geirfiujl.     "  rroce.dings  Royal  Society,  Edinburgh."     1,H7!I  80,  p.  080. 

"  Geir.     Ihitl. 

^  fliir-finrl.     "Transactions  of  Zmdogical  .Society."     Lomlon,  v(d.  v.  p|>.  317  XV>. 

**  Gnir/inil  nn<\  (/iiiir/iiiil.     "  T'eber  I'lautus  impennis,"  von  William  rreyer,  Heidellierg.     I.HI12,  p.  17. 

so  <<  I'roceeilings  of  the  Scottish  Society  of  Antiquaries,"  vid,  xiii.  p.  83. 

"  Herr  A.  Lorange,  of  I!ergen,in  a  letter  to  us,  datitd  12lli  March  18,S4,  says,  "  (leiir  in  the  old  N'orthern 
(Icelandic)  means  =  a  pointed  speir."  In  Anglo-Saxon  the  wonl  Gnf  has  the  same  meaning.  We  inay  mention 
that  Gai  was  the  Peltic  name  for  a  spear.  That  the  upper  mandil>lt^  Ijad  some  resemblance  to  a  spear-head 
maybe  gleaned  from  the  curious  mistake  that  i.s  referred  to  at  page  45. 


DERIVATION  OF  THE  NAME  GEIRFUGL. 


i»S 


extmoidiiiary    swiftness   of   the    bird    in    the    water   being   like    the    flight  of 

it  sjiear. 

I'rofussor  Steenstrup  agrees  with  Dr.  Smitli  in  thinking  that  the  wonl 
Geyr-fiKjl,  or  more  properly  Giirfujl,  muans  the  bird  witli  the  spear-like  beak, 
but  tiiinks  it  improbable  that  tlio  name  refers  to  the  extraordinary  swiftness  of 
the  bird  in  the  water,  being  like  the  flight  of  a  spear.  He  believes  the  name  is 
derived  from  its  elongated  spcar-Iike  or  sword-like  bill,  in  comparison  with  that 
of  the  Itazorbill  {Aim  tonla,  Linn.)  Tlie  learned  Professor  has  been  kind  enough 
to  furnish  us  with  the  following  remarks :  —  "  Tiie  word  Gcir,  Gcjjr,  or  Geyerr 
in  the  name  Gdr/iud  {Aim  impmnis,  L.),  is  certainly  of  Icelandic  or  Scandi- 
navian origin,  and  it  signifies  a  spear  or  spear-like  weapon  or  instrument,  liut 
the  word  Gcir  in  Geirfugl  when  the  name  refers  to  Falco  albicans,  otherwise 
Falco  gyrfalco,  is  of  Latin  origin,  and  derives  from  yyms,  gyrare,  to  make  whirls 
or  circular  evolutions  in  tlie  air.  As  a  technical  expression  it  has  come  from 
the  old  falconry-art,  and  has  been  adopted  into  "  The  Old  Laws  of  Norway  "  (see 
p.  121).  The  name  Geirfugl  when  applied  to  Aim  hnpennis,  L.,  is  clearly 
Scandinavian  (Icelandic).  It  means  the  Auk  witii  the  longer  spear-like  bill, 
just  as  you  in  English  name  the  Little  Auk,  Razorbill  {Aim  tonla,  Linn.)! 
and  as  I  in  Krisavik  (South  Iceland)  in  1839  and  1840  always  got  the  Uri'a 
truilc  (or  hringvia),  with  the  longer  and  more  pointed  1  a,  under  the  name 
Geirnefia,  and  the  Urm  Brunnkhcr  with  the  shorter  bill  under  the  name 
Stuttnrfia,  meaning  in  English  Spmrbill  and  Shwthill.  As  a  parallel  I  may 
remind  you  of  the  Icelandic  and  English  names  of  Esox  hdone  {vul!jariti)—in 
Icelandic  Geir-sil ;  in  English  Gatf.sh,  Garpike,  on  account  of  the  long  and 
pointed  snout." 

In  considering  this  rpiestion  we  must  bear  in  mind  who  were  the  early  settlers 
in  Iceland,  and  endeavour  to  see  if  their  previous  history  gives  us  any  clue  as  to 
how  this  name  for  the  Great  Auk  could  have  originated.  As  far  back  as  the 
eighth  century  of  the  Christian  era,  there  were  monko  of  the  Columban  Church 
in  Iceland,  and  it  is  ])clieved  they  were  the  first  settlers.  An  Irish  monk  named 
Uicuilius  wrote  a  work  in  the  year  825  a.d.,  in  which  he  mentions  that  at  least 
thirty  years  previous  to  that  time  he  had  seen  and  spoken  with  several  monks 
who  had  visited  an  island  they  called  'J'hile,  which  has  been  clearly  proved  to  be 
Iceland  from  statements  regarding  the  length  of  the  days  at  ditl'erent  times  of  the 
year,  and  a  calculation  of  the  duration  of  the  seasons,  which  accompany  the  story. 
Those  monks  had  their  settlements  all  the  way  north  from  Ireland  through  the 


ii 


136 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


m 


Western  Isles  of  Scotland  to  Orkney,  Shetland,  Faroe,  and  Iceland.'"  At  this 
latter  island  they  had  a  settlement  in  the  West-Mann  Isles  off  the  south  coast, 
which  get  their  name  from  the  anchorites  coining  from  the  West  Land,  or  the 
country  that  borders  the  west  of  Europe,  namely,  Ireland. 

On  one  of  those  islets  the  Great  Auk  bred,  and  although  one  of  those 
stations  where  it  has  long  been  exterminated,  we  cannot  doubt  tliat  at  the  time 
those  islets  were  inhabited  by  the  Christian  monks  it  bred  there  in  great 
numbers,  and  they  must  have  been  quite  familiar  with  the  bird.  Whatever 
was  the  name  by  which  they  knew  it,  we  do  not  think  it  was  the  "  Geir- 
fiigl,"  as  that  appellation  is  evidently  Scandinavian,  while  the  name  by  which 
those  monks  called  it  would  be  Celtic  in  its  origin.''^  Those  anchorites  were  not 
colonists  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  for  they  were  no  lovers  of  women, 
and  retired  to  those  solitudes  for  the  purposes  of  prayer  and  religious  exercise, 
desiring  to  worship  God  in  peace. 

The  next  settlers  in  Iceland  wore  men  of  a  different  stamp,  who  were  heathens, 
but  who  came  to  the  island  to  get  rid  of  the  controlling  power  of  government 
as  put  forth  by  King  Harold  Fairhair  in  Norway,  which  made  them  to  be  the 
"king's  men  at  all  times."  They  were  no  servile  or  sava;.^e  race;  they  were 
freemen  burn  and  bred,  brave  warriors,  and  adventurous  seamen,  who  had  vested 
rights  and  world  old  laws  that  they  would  nut  allow  to  be  interfered  with. 
Itather  than  suffer  kingly  rule,  they,  family  after  family,  left  their  Norwegian 
homes  and  sought  a  new  settlement  in  Iceland.  The  lii-st  settler  who  arrived 
from  Norway  in  Iceland  was  Ingolf,  who  came  in  the  year  87i  a.d.,  and  ere  long 
he  was  succeeded  by  others,  until  most  of  the  habitable  parts  of  the  island  were 
allotted  to  various  families.  It  is  to  these  people  we  are  indebted  for  tiie  name 
the  Great  Auk  bears  in  Iceland,  and  they  may  have  brought  the  name  witii 
them.  At  the  time  in  which  they  or  their  forefathers  lived,  the  Cireat  Auk  was 
most    likely    met    with    occasionally    oft'   the    Norwegian    coast,"    but    at    any 

"  "Saga  of  Hunit  Njnl,"  Diisetit.  Introduction,  lip.  vii.  nnil  viii.  ;  also  " ')icuile  J.iljor  de  Meiisum 
Orbis  Terrne.  Ed.  ValLktniier,''  I'aris,  1807  ;  and  Miiurcr  "  licitrtige  zur  Heohtmjt'si'iiditc  dL'.i  Uoriuauinclii  n 
Nortlt'iis,"  i.  iio. 

'^  Mr.  K.  (jlray,  "llirds  of  the  West  of  Scotland,"  p.  411.  (,'ivi's  "An  Oeaildiul"  as  the  Gaelic  name  fm 
the  (ircat  Auk  ;  hut  we  have  heen  unable  to  discover  the  Kouice  of  hi»  infmniatiiiii,  and  suspect  it  is  merely 
uCeltie  corruption  of  the  Norse  name.  Tlie  l!ev.  .lolm  Liyhtfoot  (ufterwards  l>r.  I.ij;litfocit),  who  was  th^' 
friend  of  Pennant,  published  his  **  Flora  Scotica  "  in  1777,  and  at  the  cnmmeneenient  uf  it  kIvcs  a  list  of  th*- 
fauna  of  Seiitland  along  with  the  (iaelic  nameH,  when  he  could  diseover  that  any  such  names  existed  ;  but 
though  he  gives  the  (iaelic  name  for  the  Kazorbill,  "  ('nllriiirlir,"  hi-  minlioiis  no  (Iaelic  name  for  the  Great 
Auk,  and  he  had  every  opportunity  of  ascertaining  if  there  wrs  one  as  he  travelled  through  the  llebriiles. 

"*  Professor  Steenstrup,  writing  us  on  '.'I'd  March  ISS.'i,  referring  to  tlie  results  of  investigations  as  to  the 
Uieat  Auk  having  freijueuted  the  Nurwegiau  eoaat,  lays,  "  We  uuw  know  veiy  "ell  that  during  historic  times 


THE  GEIRFUGL  CALLED  A  VULTURE  BY  MISTAKE. 


127 


rate  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  fiords  of  Denmark.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
it  was  tliose  Norwegian  Vikings  who  spread  the  name  of  Geir-fugl  through  all 
the  lands  they  settled  in  or  conquered,  which  name,  as  we  have  shown,  has  now 
been  varied  in  many  ways  as  to  spelling  and  pronunciation  in  diflferent  countries. 
We  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Scandinavians  gave  the  Geirfugl 
its  name  on  account  of  its  spear-like  bill,  as  stated  by  Professor  Steenstrup.  It 
is  generally  supposed  that  the  earliest  mention  of  the  name  Geirfugl  occurs  in 
the  Edda,*"  where  it  is  understood  to  refer  to  the  Great  Auk,  Alca  impmnis,  Linn., 
though  the  following  gleda  (Faico  milvus)  makes  it  uncertain."* 

The  evidence  we  have  just  given  seems  so  conclusive  that  it  might  be 
accepted  as  finally  deciding  the  question,  if  it  were  not  that  some  personi  have 
supposed  that  Geir  in  Gcirfiujl,  and  the  German  word  Geier,  meaning  Vulture, 
are  one  and  the  same  as  regards  meaning.  Tliis  misconception  was  probably 
caused  in  the  first  instance  through  an  awkward  mistake  made  by  the  translator  of 
the  English  edition  of  Niels  Horrebow's  "  Natural  History  of  Iceland,"  which  was 
published  in  London  in  1758.  Ho  probably  translated  from  the  German  edition, 
and  mistook  the  word  Gcir  for  Gtdcr,  or  its  older  form  Geyer.  Tliis  led  him  to 
refer  to  the  Great  Auk  as  tlie  Gcir  or  Vulture.  "  The  Vulture  Eocks,  called  also 
Bird  Rocks,  lie  beyond  Heiivenos,  in  the  south  district,  about  six  or  eight  leagues 
west  of  this  place.  On  these  cliffs  and  rocks  are  a  great  many  Vultures,  which 
besides  harbour  in  other  parts  of  the  island."  Horrebow  devotes  a  considerable 
part  of  his  work  to  calling  in  question  statements  made  by  Herr  Johann 
Anderson  in  his  work  on  Iceland,"  and  it  seems  probable  that,  in  some  instances 
at  least,  Anderson  was  rather  credulous  in  receiving  information  from  those  who 
aided  him  during  his  inquiries  in  Iceland.     Horrebow  quotes  Anderson  to  con- 


the  Ofirfual  l,u,  not  been  seen  at  tlie  Nurwegi,,,,  co.nat,  n„,l  wo  »1,„  now  are  better  aoquaintu,!  with  the  eon- 
a.tu.ns  of  the  8™..horos  n,„l  seabntt.nn.s  in  su,l,  oountrie.  where  the  bird  live.l  in  former  time.,  «n,l  hence 
„  no  longer  ,hmeult  to  un,lerst,u„l  why  it  ,li,l  not  live  at  tho  Norwegian  eoa.t.     1  an.  now  of  the  opinion 


ha  ho  whole  range  or  hne  of  the  Norwegian  coast  from  north  to  south  is  environed  with  such  deep  water 
that  ho  Ge.rfug  by  d.vmg  could  not  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  i.,  order  to  catch  its  food  there.  Conse- 
.p.ently  I  am  not  .hsposed  to  think  that  the  inhabitants  of  Norway  or  the  Norwegian  Skers  (htand»  did 

r.'irfu' iV,;'"  '  v'"'  '  '!'• '"7."-  --' "-'f'--''.  -"•  tl'^'t  exceedingly  rarely,  nor  heard  tho  name  given  to  the 
Ouirfugl  (n.)t  in  Norway)  but  in  the  Faiilc,  AVestern  Islands,  or  Iceland."' 


Although  tho  word  Oeir  is 


•^  "  Proso  Kdda."     I'Mition  of  ('(•iienhagiMi,  184,S-IS52.  vol.  ii.  jiage'-lSS. 

*i  Professor  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  to  us,  dated  '.'2,1  March  LSSo    saya— "  \l 
Scandiiuviiin,  it  is  not  properly  a  Norse  word  in  its  connection  with  (iJirfugl.     That"  u"to"  s'iy,  thi7n".me  of 
tho  bird,  .•/,•,.„„;,,.„„,.,  r...  IS  certainly  given  in  countries  where  tho  bird  was,  if  not  very  common,  at  least 
not  exceedingly  rare.  ' 

"  Herr.rohann  Anderson  (sometime  Burgomaster  of  Hamburg),  "Nachrichten  von  Island,  Gronland 
mid  der  Strasso  Davis,    &c.     Frankfurt  u.  Leipzig,  1747,  p.  52. 


■  I, 


]■  < 


h  I: 


128 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


tradict  his  statements,  and  the  translator  thus  gives  one  of  these  quotations  in 
English : — "  The  Gcir  or  Vulture  is  not  often  seen  in  Iceland,  except  on  a  few 
cliffs  to  the  west,  and  that  the  Icelanders,  naturally  superstitious,  have  a  notion 
that  when  this  bird  appears  it  portends  some  extraordinary  event.  Of  this  he 
(Anderson)  assures  us,  being  told  'that  (in  1729)  the  year  before  the  late  King 
Frederick  IV.  (of  Denmark)  died,  there  appeared  many,  and  that  none  had  been 
seen  before  for  years.' "  There  are  other  passages  in  Horrebow's  work,  that  are 
mistranslated,  the  Geirfugl  being  called  the  Vulture;  but  we  need  not  refer  to 
these,  as  the  quotations  we  have  just  given  are  suflicient  to  illustrate  how  the  mis- 
take in  the  name  has  occurred.  Mr.  Eobert  Gray  ^'  refers  to  the  name  Vulture, 
which  he  supposes  Horrebow  had  given  to  the  Geirfugl,  being  no  doubt  unaware 
that  there  was  a  mistake  in  the  translation,  and  then  goes  on  to  remark — 

"  Whether  this  writer  had  traced  any  connection  between  the  Iceland  name 
Geirfugl  and  Lammcrgeir,  or  geycr  (literally,  '  Lamb  Vulture ')  which  is  a  con- 
necting link  between  the  eagle  and  the  vulture,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say — the 
etymology  of  tlie  name  Garefowl  being  confessedly  a  difficult  question.  Professor 
Newton  informs  me  that  the  obvious  resemblance  at  first  sight  between  Geir  and 
tiie  German  Geicr  or  Gcyer  (its  older  form)  has  struck  several  persons,  but  that 
he  doubts  if  it  is  more  than  a  coincidence."  Professor  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  to 
us,  dated  22d  March  1 880,  remarks  "  that  he  cannot  understand  why  the 
etymology  of  the  name  Geirfugl  should  be  a  difficult  question,  because  it  is 
clearly  a  Scandinavian  (Iceliuulie)  mime,  and  means  the  Auk  with  the  spear-like 
bill."  As  to  the  suggestion  of  Gcir  in  Geirfugl  as  Alea  impennis,  meaning 
Vult U7r,  "  the  qnotud  respectable  Niels  Horrebow  "  does  not  indicate  any  con- 
nection at  all  between  Geirfugl  and  Vulture.  I5oth  the  Danish  original  aiul 
German  editions  have  Geirfugledj'er  or  Fugledjcr,  and  it  is  only  by  a  hoiril)lt! 
mistake  that  the  English  translator  (I  tliink  from  the  German  edition)  has  trans- 
lated the  name  of  tlie  rocks  as  "  the  Vulture  lloeks."  Nor  does  the  map  of 
Iceland  in  Horrebow's  work  contain  any  hints  as  to  Vultures;  even  in  tlie 
German  edition  tiie  map  has  "  Geir- Vogel  "  oder  "  Vogel-Seliar."  lli-fcrring  to 
the  statement  of  Anderson  quoted  by  Horrebow,  "  the  Geir  or  Vulture  is  not 
often  seen  in  Iceland,  except  on  a  few  dill's  to  the  west,"  Professor  Steenstrup 
says,  "  The  German  edition  (and  tlie  Danish  in  tlie  same  way)  has  only  '  Der 
Geyr  Vogel  wird  gar  selten  gesehen  und  zwar  allein  an  den  uuteu  her  an  der 


*»  "  Paper  on  two  uiirecorjed  Eggs  of  the  Gieut  Auk,"  K.  Gray,  Esi)- 
bursh,"  l»79-aO,  p.  (WO. 


"  I'rooecdiiiga  Royal  Society,  Kiliii- 


■m 


GAREFOWL  OR  RARE-FOWL. 


129 


Westseite  liegenden  Klippen,'  (p.  203)."  Tiie  resemblance  at  first  sight  between 
Gexr  m  Geirfugl  and  the  German  word  Gdev,  Geyer,  &c..  is  not  so  obvious  as 
s'pposed,  the  first  never  being  used  witliout  having  Fugl  or  Fotvl  behind  it  • 
the  German  word  Geyer  never  being  used  with  Voyel  beliind  it.  without  clianainJ 
the  word's  meauinf;.  " 

As  some  persons  who  are  quite  agreed  with  us  as  to  the  name  Geir/ugl 
bemg  Icehmdic,  are  not  quite  so  certain  that  the  name  was  given  to  tlie  Great 
Auk  on  account  of  its  spear-like  bill,  and  are  inclined  to  leave  the  name  an  open 
question,  we  may  state  their  views.     They  think  it  possible  that  perhaps  the 
progenitors  of  the  Icelanders  brought  the  name  with  them  from  Scandinavia,  and 
agam  their  forefathers  had  obtained  it  in  the  south  of  Europe,  and  they  suppose 
that  Geirr,  the  Icelandic  for  a  spear,  and  the  German  word  Gcier,  a  Vulture  may 
have  been  derived  from  the  same  root  and  have  similar  meanings,  and  that  the 
early  Scandinavian  settlers  gave  the  name  to  the  Gev-fuffl  thinking  it  somewhat 
resembled  a  Vulture.     We  think  there  can  ],e  little  doubt  that  this  view  was 
strengthened  by  the  supposition  that  the  English  translation  of  Horrebow's  work 
was  correct,  an.l  that  the  Great  Auk  had  been  known  in  Iceland  by  the  name  of 
M  ult.ire."     Professor  Steenstrup,  writing  us  22d  March  1885,  savs-"  This  ar"u- 
n.ent,  I  think,  has  really  no  basis  at  all,  our  Scandinavian  progenitors  in  the  filst 
being  supposed  to  have  had  a  quite  diirerent  name  for  VulUrc  than  Geyer  ■  and 
again,  the  wonl  Geyr  or  Geyer  in  the  signification  of  Vn/ture.  is  not  of  Scandi- 
navian or  Northern  root  at  all.     You  may  b.  sure  the  idea  of  a  Vnhure,  or  the 
tradition  or  reminiscence  of  a  Vulture,  or  a  Vulture-like  shape  and  behaviour 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  old  Scandinavian  conception  of  their  Geirfu^d  (Alea 
impenniii,  Linn.).'"'  ^ 

One  writer,  the  Itev.  Mr.  Kenneth  Macaulay,^"  who  wrote  a  history  of  St 
Kilda  or  Hirta,  mentions  the  Garelbwl.  He  says,  "The  men  of  Hirta  call  it 
the  Garefowl.  corruptly  perhaps  instead  of  Kare-fowl-a  name  probablv  -Wveu  it 
by  some  one  of  those  foreigners  whom  either  choice  or  necessity  draw  into  this 
region."  It  is  evident  from  the  foregoing  that  Mr.  Macnulav  did  not  know  of 
the  Jsorse  origin  of  the  name,  but  it  is  also  evident  that  he  rec'ognised  that  it  was 
not  Celtic.     He  appears   to   have  proceeded  to  account  for  the  name  on   the 


A  T'.«t:r.«t.  wonl]  a  ^peur  "         ™""  *'"'  "'"•^"'^'^  *''^"'  ''•  '■  <=''•  '  »'»"  Latin  Gaesum. 


i;     I 


.m 


IMI 


:J 


:|     1 


130 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


assumption  that  it  must  be  of  English  orirjiii,  and  probably  was  under  the 
impression  that  the  ears  of  tlie  Celtic  inhabitants  of  St.  Kilda  wero  not  suffi- 
ciently acute  to  distinguish  the  difference  of  sound  between  Rare  and  Gare,  in 
a  langu  ige  with  which  they  had  at  best  only  a  very  slight  acquaintance.  How- 
ever this  may  be,  no  one  need  doubt  that  the  Ilev.  Mr.  K.  Macaulay  made  a 
mistake  as  to  the  derivation  of  the  name.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  the  close 
association  in  the  popular  mind  of  the  (Jreat  Auk  and  the  Razorbill,  Alca 
tarda,  L.,  from  the  similar  names  given  to  both  these  birds  in  different  countries, 
and  to  which  we  have  more  than  once  to  refer.  For  instance, — the  Gurfel  is 
mentioned  by  M'Gillivray  *^  as  being  an  appellation  by  which  the  Razorbill  was 
known,  and  Fleming  *^  gives  tlie  Garjil  as  a  Welsh  name  for  the  same  bird. 

Great  Auk. — The  name  "  Great  Auk,"  by  which  this  bird  is  likely  to  be 
known  in  all  time  coming  to  the  great  majority  of  persons,  is,  as  far  as  we  can 
discover,  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  in 
use  before  the  time  when  Linuieus  gave  the  name  Alca  impciinU  to  the  Garefowl 
and  Alcn  tonla  to  the  Ittizorbill,  sometimes  called  the  Auk ;  and  it  is  probable 
the  word  "Great"  in  the  name  was  originated  to  distinguish  to  the  unscientific 
these  two  birds  by  the  difference  in  their  size.  Pennant*''  gives  the  name 
"  Great  Auk,"  and  quotes  opposite  it  "  Latham  "  **  as  his  authority  ;  on  the  same 
page  he  also  gives  the  name  Aim  major,  and  refers  the  reader  to  "  Brisson ; "  '"' 
but  this  only  takes  us  back  a  little  more  than  a  century,  while  the  names  Gare- 
fowl and  Penguin  were  given  to  this  bird  long  before  that  time. 

We  are  unable  to  say  how  this  name  came  into  such  general  use  in  pre- 
ference to  others ;  but  perhaps  it  lias  been  owing  to  the  writers  in  most  of  the 
recent  works  on  natural  history,  with  a  few  notable  exceptions,  having  adopted  the 
appellation,  and  the  bird  having  appeared  also  under  this  name  in  press  notices 
and  caricatures. 


The  King  and  Qiirew  of  the  Auks. — The  "King  and  (Jiieen  of  the  Auks"  was 
the  name  given  to  the  two  last  specimens  of  Garefowl  killed  in  Orkney,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  Pa])a  Westra^"  and  adjoining  island.s  gave  them  this  appellation, 


«'  "HritUli  Water  Hinls,"  vul.  ii.  p.  :14(!.  <-'  "  niitUli  Animals,"  1H2H,  p.  l:!0. 

*•■>  IViiiiiint.     ■'  liritish  Zodlogy,"  vol.  ii,  p.  146.  ♦*  Lutli.     "  Iiul.  Orii.,"  "Ill,  id.  «yii.  v.  ;lll. 

«■>  liriHson,     Av.  vi,  H5,     Tab.  7  (17(iO). 

*"  "Papa  We»tra"  waa  llio  »it«  of  an  eculcsiaaticul  Hettlciiioiit  of  the  (^ulumbaii  Cliuicli ;  the  ialniul 
gets  its  name  from  the  ancliorites,  who  were  calleil  "  I'apar  "  by  the  Nortlimen, 


THE  NAME  PENGUIN. 


131 


we  suppose,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Alca  tarda,  L.,  or  Kazorbill,  and  perhaps 
also  the  Arctica  alle,  L.,  or  Little  Auk. 

Penguin. — A  name  by  which  it  was  known  in  almost  all  the  countries  it 
inhabited  during  last  century  was  "  The  Tenguin,"  "  or  "  le  Grand  Pingoin ;  "  ** 
and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  name,  which  appears  to  be  of  Welsh  origin, 
and  which  is  now  given  to  a  class  of  birds  inhabiting  the  Southern  Hemisphere, 
was  or  finally  given  to  the  Great  Auk,  and  it  was  from  some  similarity  in  the 
habits  and  appearance  of  these  birds  when  viewed  from  a  distance,  though  they 
differ  widely,  that  led  the  early  mariners  who  visited  the  Southern  Seas  to  confuse 
the  Spheniscomorplioe  with  the  Alca  impennis,  L.,  with  which  they  were  familiar 
in  the  i^orth  Atlantic.  This  confusion  of  the  names  led  to  no  end  of  trouble 
among  ornithologists,  very  few  of  whom  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  really  knew 
what  were  the  points  of  difference  between  the  species,  and  some  were  to  be 
found  ready  to  deny  that  such  a  bird  as  the  Great  Auk  ever  existed,  but  time 
and  experience  have  changed  all  this,  and  Alca  impcnnis,  L.,  is  now  diily  placed 
in  its  proper  niche  by  the  ornithological  world. 

Professor  Steenstrup,  in  his  admirable  paper  on  the  Great  Auk,  mentions 
that  the  name  Penguin  is  of  Welsh  origin ;  and  if  so,  seamen  from  that  part  of 
our  islands  may  have  been  the  first  to  give  the  birds  a  name  in  the  American 
locality,  unless  we  suppose  that  it  had  received  this  name  when  it  was  a  frequent 
visitant  to  o>ir  own  shores  and  before  the  early  voyages  to  Newfoundland  took 
place.  In  the  course  of  our  studies,  we  have  met  with  the  following  interesting 
statement.  It  is  found  in  the  third  voluuie  of  "  Hakluyt's  Voyages,"  and  occurs 
in — 

"  A  true  Report  of  the  late  discoucries  and  possession  taken  in  the  right  of  the  Crowne 
of  England  of  the  Newfound  Lands,  By  that  valiant  and  worthy  Gentleman,  Sir  Ilumfrey 
Gilbert,  Knight.  Wlierein  is  also  briefly  set  downo  her  higlmesse  lawfull  Title  therevnto, 
and  tlio  great  and  manifold  commodities  tliat  are  likely  to  grow  tlioroby,  to  the  wliolo 
Kcalnio  in  general!,  and  to  the  Aducnturers  in  particxdar ;  Together  witli  the  easiness©  and 
shortncsso  of  the  Voyage.  Written  by  Sir  George  Peckham,  Knight,  the  chief  aduenturer 
and  furtherer  of  Sir  ILumfrciy  Gilberts  Voyage  to  Newfound  Land." 


*'  Iilem,  ]).  T). 

■"  Oivcii  by  reiimuit,  "  British  Zoology,"  vol.  ii.  p.  146,  who  refers  his  reader  to  ' 
ri.  onl.,  307. 


Hist.  (i'Ois.,"ix.  393. 


i  it\ 


m 


!        1 

\  i 

i|  •  ■ 

i 

i 


132 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Tlie  third  chapter  of  this  Report  is  headed  as  follows  : — 

"  The  third  chapter  doeth  show  the  lawfull  title  which  the  Queenes  most  excellent 
Maiestie  hath  vnto  those  Countries,  which  through  the  ayde  of  Almighty  God  are  meant 
to  be  inhabited. 

"  And  it  is  very  evident  that  the  planting  there  shall  in  time  right  amply  enlarge  h-sr 
Maiesties  Territories  and  ])ominions  or  (I  might  rather  say),  restore  her  to  her  Highnesse 
ancient  right  and  interest  in  those  Countries,  into  the  which  a  noble  and  worthy  personage, 
lineally  descended  from  the  blood-royidl  borne  in  Wales,  named  Aladock  ap  Owen  Gwyneth, 
departing  from  the  coast  of  England,  about  the  yeere  of  o\ir  Lord  God  1170,  arrived  and 
there  planted  himself  and  his  colonies  and  afterward  returned  himself  into  England,  leaving 
certaine  of  his  people  there,  as  appeareth  in  an  ancient  Welsh  Chronicle,  where  he  then 
gave  to  certaine  Islands,  beastes  and  foulcs,  smulry  Welsh  names,  as  the  Island  of  Pengwin, 
wliich  yet  to  this  day  beareth  the  fame.  There  is  likewise  a  foulo  in  the  saide  countreys 
called  by  the  same  name  at  this  da}-,  and  is  as  much  to  say  in  English,  as  Whitehead,  and 
in  trueth  the  said  foules  have  white  heads.'"'  There  is  also  in  these  Countreis  a  fruit  called 
Gwyneths,  which  is  likewise  a  Welsh  word.  Moreover,  there  are  diners  other  Welsh 
wordes  at  this  day  (about  158.3  a.d.)  in  use,  as  David  Ingram  aforesaid  reporleth  in  his 
relations.  All  which  most  strongly  arguoth  the  sayd  Prince  with  his  people  to  have 
inhabited  there," 

There  appears  on  the  margin  of  the  page  this  note : — 
"  1170.  Owen  Gwyneth  was  Prince  of  North  Wales.     Nullum  tompus  occurrit  Regi."  ^^ 

¥oT  furthor  particulars  regarding  Owen  Gwyneth,  see  Appendix  III.  page  35. 

Caroli's  Chisius  figures  the  Penguin  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere,  and  says, 
"  The  name  Penguin  is  derived  from  their  excessive  fatness  (Latin,  ■pinguis,  fat) ; "  '^ 
and  if  he  is  correct,  the  Great  Auk  or  Penguin  of  the  North  xVtlantic  liad  doubt- 
less received  the  name  for  the  same  reason  long  before.  Indeed,  this  is  referred 
to  by  ilr.  John  Reinlio'.d  Forster,  in  his  narration  of  the  voyage  of  Mr.  Robert 
Hore,  who  visited  during  the  sunnner  of  1530  an  island  on  the  southern  coast  of 
Newfoundland,  named  Penguin  Island,  and  he  says  the  island  had  got  its  name 
from  a  kind  of  sea-fowl,  wliich  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  called  Penguins  on 
account  of  their  being  so  cerij  fat!''^  This  derivation  is  one  of  the  old-fashioned 
kind,  and  its  absurdity  does  not  need  to  be  pointed  out. 

George  Edward  figures  the  Great  Auk,  and  names  it  the  Northern  Penguin.''^ 


•"'  The  (ircat  Auk  li»«  ii  wliite  juitcli  nil  eiich  side  of  the  head  in  front  of  the  eye. 
'»  "Hakluyt'sVoyiiKCB,"  London,  ICiOO,  v<.l.  iii.,  pp.  Ki,"),  172,  17a. 
"'  "Exoticiiriiip  Duccm  Libri,"  I.ejdun,  1(105,  p.  101. 

"  "History  .  i  tlie  Voyaijei  and   Discoveries  made  in  the  North,  by  John  Reinhold  Forster,"  I.V'.D. 
London,  1780,  p.  I'lK). 

M  "Natural  History  of  Birds,"  Part  III,,  London,  1750,  4to,  plate  47. 


#^ 


THE  NAME  PENGUIN. 


>33 


Ihe  specimen  of  the  bird  from  which  this  figure  was  produced,  he  tells  us  was 
caught  by  tlie  crew  of  a  Newfoundland  fishing-vessel  at  the  Banks  a  hundred 
leagues  from  the  shore,  where  it  was  taken  with  their  fish-baits.  Edwards  tells 
us  he  procured  the  bird  from  the  master  of  the  boat.  Buffbn  "  calls  the  bird  le 
Graml  Pingouin,  while  Temminck"  gives  it  the  name  Pmgouin  Irachiptcre. 

The  name  Penguin  given  to  the  Razorbill. 

The  Razorbill,  Aim  torda,  L.,  appears  also  to  have  been  known  by  the  name 
of  Penguin,  as  mentioned  in  a  map  of  the  Western  Isles  of  Scotland  published  at 
Edinburgh  in  1823,  and  referred  to  by  Mr.  Robert  Gray  in  his  paper  read  before 
the  Royal  Society,  Edinburgh.'" 

It  is  stated  that  "  the  south-west  coast  of  Bernera  and  Mingulay  are  remark- 
ably bold  precipices,  rising  perpendicularly  from  the  sea  in  lofty  cliffs  of  ^neiss 
whicli  are  frequented  iu  summer  by  innumerable  flocks  of  Puffins,  JlaM 
Pengmns,  and  Kittywakes.  These  birds  disappear  early  in  autumn  with  their 
young." 

A  Welsh  name  for  the  Razorbill  is  Gwalch  y  Penwauj,  which  is  mentioned 
by  Fleming.  "  Lc  Pinyomn  "  is  the  appellation  given  by  Buffon,^^  and  another 
synonym  is  Pingouin  macropterc,  whicii  is  applied  to  the  bird  by  Temminck.»» 

The  Spellings  of  the  name  Penguin  ano  the  various  connections  in 

which  they  are  used. 
The  spelling  of  the  name  Pe>ujum  varies  considerably,  and  for  the  information 
of  our  readers  we  shall  give  a  few  of  those  different  spellings,  with  the  connec- 
tions in  which  they  occur.  "  Island  named  Pau,,nnr~"  Report,  of  the  State  and 
Commodities  of  Newfoundland  by  M.  Authonie  Parkhurst,  Gentleman  1578  "«» 
"Island  of  Penguin."-- Voyage  of  the  Graee  of  Bristol  of  M.  Rice  lones,  made 
by  Sduester  Wyet.  Shipmaster  of  Bristoll.  159 1."  "  "  Jland  called  Penguin  "  "  be- 
cause of  the  multitude  of  birdes  of  the  same  name  "-In  a  Latin  letter  to  the 


"  "Oisciiux,"  vol.  ix.  p.  .ins. 

"  "Manuiil,"  vol.  ii.  pp.  '.W-iBi). 

"  "I'rocceilings  Royal  Society,  Edinburgli,"  1870-80,  p.  G81 

■'  "liritish  Aiiinmls,"  1828,  p.  i;iO. 

"  "  liulfon,"  Ois,  vol.  ix.  p.  .SO;!,  pi.  XXIX.  (178;i). 

"  Temminck,  "Manuiil,"  vol.  ii.  p.  9:ir-9;i9. 

"  Hakluyfs  "Collection  of  Voyages,"  London,  1000,  vol.  iii.  p.  133 

°'  /Old,,  p.  194. 


i 


M 


m-n 


/I    ,.| 


1.1!  i 


134 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


WoraliipfuU  Master  Richard  Hakluit  at  Oxford  in  Christclmrch,  Master  of  Art 
and  Philosophie,  his  friend  and  brother."  The  letter  bears  date  6th  August  1583 
in  Newfoundland  at  St.  lohns  Port,  and  is  from  Steven  Parmenivs  of  Buda.*"^ 
"  Iland  of  Pengwin." — "  A  true  lleport  of  the  late  discoueries  and  possession  taken 
in  the  right  of  the  Crownc.  of  England  of  the  Nowfound  Lands  by  that  Valiant  and 
Worthy  Gentleman,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  Knight.  Wriituu  by  Sir  George  Peck- 
ham,  Knight.*^  The  name  of  the  birds  is  also  given  as  "  Pcngwins  "  in  the  same 
Eeport.*^  In  a  notice  of  the  "  Voyage  of  the  Ship  called  the  Mangold  of  M.  Hill 
of  Iledrife  vnto  Cape  Briton  (lireton),  and  beyond  to  the  latitude  of  44  degrees 
and  a  half,  15'.)3,  written  by  Richard  Fisher,  Master  Hille's  Man  of  Redrife,"  it 
is  mentioned  the  "  Englishmen  land  upon  Cape  I'.riton.  .  .  .  Here  diuerse  of  our 
men  went  on  land  upon  the  very  Cape.  .  .  .  And  as  they  viewed  the  countrey 
they  sawe  diuers  beastes  and  foules,  as  blacke  Foxes,  Deere,  Otters,  great  Foules 
with  redde  legges,  Pengwym,  and  certaine  others."  "* 

Until  quite  recently  the  name  Pin-wing  appears  to  have  been  given  to  the 
Great  Auk  in  Newfoundland,  but  this  is  probably  only  a  corruption  of  the  word 
"Penguin.""®  Preyer"'  gives  the  name  Pemjuyn  as  the  Dutch  name  for  the 
Great  Auk,  and  Grand  Pingovin  du  Nord  as  the  French.  He  also  mentions  the 
following  synonyms  and  names — Plautus  pinguis^^  Klein,  Pinguinus  impennis^'* 
Bonaparte. 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  already  given  references  for  the  following  names, 
which  we  merely  recapitulate — "  lo  grand  Pingoin,"  "  Pinguin,"  "  Penguins," 
"  Northern  Penguin,"  "  Le  Grand  Pingouin,"  "  Pingouin  brachipti're,"  "  Penguyn," 
"  Grand  Pingouin  du  Nord,"  "  Plautus  pinguis,"  "  Pinguinus  imponnis." 

Apponath. — This  is  a  name  which,  according  to  Hakluyt,  laques  Carthier 
gave  to  a  bird  which  he  found  at  the  "  Island  of  liirds,"  Newfoundland,  and  which, 
from  his  description,  must  be  assumed  to  be  the  Great  Auk  ;  but  we  give  his  own 
words,  so  that  our  readers  may  form  their  own  opinions  on  the  subject.  The 
heading  of  the  narrative  is  as  follows:  "  Tiie  first  relation  of  laques  Carthier  of 
St.  Malo,  of  the  new  laud  called  New  France,  newly  discovered  in  the  yere  of  our 
Lord  1534." 

«a  Hiikluyt's  "Collection  of  Voyaged,'  I.omloii,  KiOO,  vol.  iii.  p.  Wl.      «^  Ibid.,  p.  172.      «*  Ibid.,  p.  175. 
«=  Ibid.,  p.  li)2.  ««  R.  Gray,  " Proceediiiga  Royul  .Society,  Ediiiliurgh,"  187^-80,  p.  678. 

w  "  Ueber  I'laiitus  impeiniis."  Heidelberg,  1862,  pp.  14,  16,  17. 

"^  "Steniiiiatu  avium"  Lips.,  17")'J,  pp.  Itti-.'IS,  and  hi« :  "I'roUrom.  hi»tor.  avium,"  Lubecn,  1750,  p, 
75.     And  also  Historia  avium. 

«•  Boniiat,  "I'abl.  Eucyl."  i.  p.  28  (1790). 


THE  NAMES  GODETZ  AND  MARGAULX. 


'35 


, 


The  beginning  of  tliis  relation  mentions  "  How  M.  Taques  Carthier  departed 
from  the  Tort  of  S.  Malo  with  two  ships  and  came  to  Newfoundland,  and  how  he 
entered  into  the  port  of  Buona  Vista."  The  next  part  tells :  "  How  we  came  to 
the  Island  of  Birds,  and  of  the  great  quantity  of  birds  that  there  be,"  as  follows : 

"  Vpon  the  21  of  May,  the  ivindo  being  in  the  West,  we  hoised  saile,  and  sailed  toward 
North  and  by  East  from  the  Capo  of  Buona  Vista,  until  we  came  to  the  Island  of  Birds, '<> 
which  was  enuironed  about  with  a  banko  of  ice,  but  broken  and  crackt ;  notwithstanding 
the  sayd  banke,  our  two  boats  went  thither  to  take  in  some  birds,  whereof  there  is  such 
plenty,  that  unlessc  a  man  did  see  them,  he  would  thinko  it  an  incredible  thing  :  for  albeit 
the  Island  (which  containeth  about  a  league  in  cn'cuit)  be  so  full  of  them,  that  they  seeme 
to  have  bene  brought  thither,  and  sowed  for  the  nonce,  yet  are  there  an  huiidred-folde  as 
many  houering  about  it  as  within;  some  of  the  which  are  as  big  as  iayes  (t>.  "jays) 
blacko  and  white,  with  beaks  like  unto  crowcs/*  They  lie  alwayes  upon  the  sea ;  tliey 
cannot  flie  very  high,  because  their  wings  are  so  little,  and  no  bigger  than  halfe  ones  hand, 
yet  do  they  flie  as  swiftly  ns  any  birds  of  the  aire  levell  to  tho  water ;  they  are  also 
excelling  fat.  We  naiiwd  thm  AporathP  In  less  than  halfe  an  houre  we  filled  two  boats 
full  of  tliem,  as  if  tliey  had  bene  with  stones ;  so  that  besides  them  whieli  we  did  eat  fresh, 
every  ship  did  powder  and  salt  flue  or  sixe  barrels  full  of  them." 

"Of  two  sorts  of  birds,  the  one  called  Goddz,  the  other  Margaulx;  and  how 
we  came  to  Carpunt. 

"Besides  tliese,  tlioro  is  another  kindo  of  birds  which  honor  in  the  aire,  and  ouer  the 
sea,  lessor  then  the  others,  and  these  don  gather  themsciues  together  in  the  Island,  ami  put 
themselves  under  the  wings  of  other  binU  that  are  greater ;  these  lee  named  Goiletz.  There 
are  also  of  another  sort,  but  bigger,  and  white,  wliich  bite  euen  as  dogs ;  those  we  named 
Manjimlj:.  And  albeit  the  sayd  Island  be  U  leagues  from  the  maine  land,  notwithstand- 
ing beares  ■omo  swimming  thither  to  eat  of  the  sayd  birtls." "■•  '•'' 

The  Frenchmen  continued  their  voyage  until  tlie  25th  June,  when  we  find 
a  notice  "Of  certain  llumis  called  the  Hands  of  Mxri/aulx,  and  of  the  kinds  of 
beasts  and  birds  that  there  are  found.    Of  the  Hand  of  Brion,  and  Cape  Dolphin." 


""  Probnbly  Funk  IsUnd. 

■'  The  original  trunBlntdr  into  English  from  t))e  onginiil  Kieneli  lias  mn.lc  two  mistakes  here,  as  the  word 
lie  Ims  renilereil  m„es  shoul.l  be  ;„>j  or  mapi'ics ;  and  instead  of  crowes  (■-■)  he  should  have  written  ravens. 

'■  Jhe  passage  trarslaied  in  the  Knglish  version,  from  which  we  quote,  "  Thcii  are  alsn  excrcdino  fat  ■  ice 
mimed  them  AporatI,,"  runs  as  follows  in  the  original  Frenth,  as  it  is  given  by  M.  Victor  Fatio,  "liulletin  de 
la  Societe  Ormtholigique  Suisse"  (Tome  ii.  1"  i«rtie,  p.  23),  "11  y  sont  excessivement  gras,  et  estoient 
appelez  par  ceux  ,lu  pais  Ai.ponath,"  i.e.  "They  are  exceedingly  fat,  and  they  were  called  Apponath  (so,  not 
Aporath)  by  the  people  of  the  conntry." 

"  llakluyt's  "Collection  of  Voyages,"  Tendon,  1(100.  vol.  iii,  pp.  201  and  202. 

"  The  island  that  Carthier  refers  to  is  probably  tliat  now  known  as  Funk  Island.  Pol.ir  bears  would  most 
nicely  reach  the  island  uimn  the  ice  and  not  by  swimming  from  the  mainland,  though  they  might  occasioually 
swim  from  passing  icebergs.  •>         j      a  j 


\\\ 


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(  ! 


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It  f 

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1 


136 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


"The  next  day  being  the  25  of  tlio  monctli,  the  weatlior  waa  also  atormio,  darke,  and 
windy,  but  yet  we  sailed  a  part  of  the  day  toward  AVest  Nortliweat,  and  in  the  evening 
wee  put  our  selucs  athwart  uiitill  the  second  ([uarter ;  wlicn  n.s  wo  dt'])art('d,  then  did  wo 
by  our  compasso  know  that  wo  wvk  Northwest  by  West  about  seven  leagues  and  an  halfo 
from  the  Cape  of  S.  lohn,  and  as  wee  were  about  to  hoise  sailo,  the  winde  turned  into  the 
Northwest,  wherefore  wee  went  Southeast,  about  15  leagues,  and  came  to  three  Hands,  two 
of  which  are  as  steeps  and  upright  as  any  wall,  so  that  it  was  not  possible  to  elimbe  them  : 
and  betweeno  them  there  is  a  little  rocke. 

"  These  Hands  were  as  full  of  birds  as  any  field  or  mcdow  is  of  grasso,  which  there  do 
make  theii  tes,  and  in  the  greatest  of  tliem  tliere  was  a  great  and  infinite  number  of 
those  that  in:  rail  Munjanlx,  that  are  wliite,  and  bigger  then  any  geese,  which  were  seuerod 
in  one  part.  In  the  other  were  onely  Uudet:,  but  toward  the  slioaro  there  were  of  those 
Godef:,  and  f/reat  Apiionatz,  like  to  those  of  tliat  Hand  that  we  aboui!  liauo  mentioned : 
we  went  downe  to  the  lowest  ])art  of  the  least  Iland,  where  we  killed  abouo  a  thousand  of 
those  Goi/etz  and  Apponatz.  We  put  into  our  boates  so  many  of  them  as  W(!  pleased,  for 
in  lesse  then  one  houre  we  might  have  filled  thirtie  such  boats  of  them.  Wo  named  thorn 
The  Hands  of  Margaulx.'''" 

The  reader  will  notice  that,  according  to  Hukluyt,  Cartliier  by  his  own 
statement  gave  the  name  "  Apponath  "  to  tiiis  bird  (this  is  a  mistake,  as  Hak- 
luyt  gives  a  mistranslation,  see  note  p.  lo5),  and  that  in  the  second  extract  from 
his  narrative  which  we  (^uote  he  gives  the  name  as  "Apponatz."  A  learned 
]ihilologist  informs  us  as  follows:  —  "Apponath  is  clearly  an  Indian  (or 
Esquimaux)  and  not  a  French  word.  From  the  very  look  of  the  word  one 
could  easily  tell  that  it  was  not  Frencli."  "'  In  another  work  where  an  account 
of  Carthier's  voyage  is  given,  the  name  is  s\iQ\i  "  Apjionath ; '^  and'"  Professor 
J,  Steenstrup,  who  was  the  first  of  recent  authors  to  refer  to  the  name,  thinks 
we  have  good  reason  to  believe  it  was  applied  to  tlie  Great  Auk,  and  supposes 
it  may  be  a  corruption  of  the  Knglisli  word  haqmomi;  for  the  French  mode  of 
spelling  the  wiu'd  varies,  it  also  appearing  as  "  Aponars." 

Aponar  is  the  name  given  to  the  Great  Auk  by  Andr6  Thevet,*"  who,  speaking 
of  his  voyage  along  the  East  Coast  of  America  in  1555,  says  that  at  eight  degrees 
from  the  Island  of  Ascension  there  was  found  a  considerable  (juantity  of  well- 
known  birds,  of  which  many  were  large  birds  with  small  wings  and  mmble  to  fly. 

"''  Hakluyt's  "  Collection  of  Voyages,"  London,  IfiOO,  vol.  iii,  |>,  20,'j. 

''  Professor  Steenstrup,  writing  us22J  Mureli  1885,  says,  "Probably  at  least,  as  the  name  given  by  the 
Eskimos  to  Aim  loriln,  I,.,  is  Ak/'amok." 

"  Terniaux,  "Conipans  Archives,"  vol.  i.  pp.  V2!>,  121). 

"'  Apponath  ami  Apponatz  are  the  singular  anil  the  plural  of  the  samo  name.  In  Old  French  tho  plural 
ii  often  formed  by  £  instead  of  by  .1. 

""  "  Tho  singularities  of  Antarctic  France,  otherwise  called  America,  and  of  several  lands  and  islands 
discovered  in  our  own  time,"  Antwerp,  1558. 


wmmmmmm 


THE  NAME  APPONATH  OR  APONARS.  137 


He  Lad  heard  them  called  Aponars,  and  he  adds  on  this  occasion  what  he  had 
heard  told  concerning  the  Aponars  of  Newfoundland.  "  Moreover,  in  this  Island 
(Ascension),"  he  says,  "  there  is  found  a  species  of  large  (birds)  which  I  have 
heard  called  Aponars.  They  have  small  wings,  wherefore  they  cannot  fly.  They 
are  big  and  stout  like  our  herons  with  a  white  belly,  a  back  black  as  coal,  and  a 
beak  like  that  of  a  cormorant  or  other  raven.  When  they  are  being  killed  they 
squeak  like  pigs.  I  have  wished  to  describe  the  bird  among  the  others,  because 
it  is  found  in  quantities  in  an  island  off  Newfoundland  right  opposite  Cape  Buona 
Vista.  It  has  been  called  the  Island  of  Aponars.  There  is  there  so  great  an 
abundance  of  them  that  three  large  Trench  vessels  going  to  Canada  sometimes 
loaded  each  their  boats  at  will  with  these  birds  on  the  shore  of  this  island,  and 
all  that  had  to  be  done  was  to  go  ashore  and  drive  them  on  before  into  the  boats 
like  sheep  to  the  shambles.  That  is  what  has  caused  me  to  speak  of  them  at  such 
length." 

M.  Victor   Fatio"    in  his  French  translation  of  Professor  Jap.  Steenstrup's 
celebrated  paper  (see  Appendix,  p.  1),  says  : — 

"Next  year  (15.5G;,  Thovet  on  liis  way  buck  from  South  America  was  driven  by 
contrary  winds  over  against  Newfoundland,  but  he  does  not  seem  to  have  then  observed 
the  birds  in  question.  Thevot  was  a  tolerably  good  cosmogiaplier,  and  liad  been  sufficiently 
ncquamted  verbally  by  Jacques  Carthier  with  the  results  of  his  two  first  voyages.  It  is 
therefore  possible,  though  far  from  probable,  that  tlie  ships  to  whicli  ho  alludes  were  those 
of  Carthier's  third  expedition,— an  expedition  which  seems,  however,  to  have  been  unknown 
to  hira.  The  Englislimen,  Ilore  and  Tarkhurst,  confirm  the  fact  that  these  poor  birds  were 
surrounded  and  driven  into  the  boats.  Tlievet  gives  us  tlie  names  of  Godd  and  Margaiu; 
famdiar  to  the  whalers  of  that  time.  Marganx  appears  to  have  signified  usually  the 
Gannet  {Suht).  The  name  Godd  appears  to  have  been  applied  in  a  general  way  to  the 
black-featliereil  birds  of  the  genus  Alca.  As  to  the  word  Apponath  or  Apponar  it  was 
used  to  designate  the  birds  which  could  not  soar  in  flight,  and  it  was  afterwards  supplanted 
by  the  word  Pinguin. 

"The  Appmiar  of  the  island  of  Ascension  cannot  have  been  the  Alca  i,iipeiimi<,  but  rather 
a  S2)heHiisais.  This  would  correspond  pretty  well  with  what  we  know  of  the  geographical 
extension  of  that  species  in  the  south  of  the  Atlantic." 

It  is  perhaps  better  to  leave  it  an  open  question,  with  our  present  knowledge, 
whether  the  name  was  applied  to  the  Great  Auk  or  not,  and  it  may  be  as  well 
to  state  that  such  an  authority  as  Professor  A.  Newton  does  not  seem  to  be  quite 
'"^''^^'"  0"  t^^o  point,  and  thinks  it  may  apply  to  some  other  species  of  Alcidaj.'' 

8'  "  Bulletin  de  111  SociitdOrnithologiquu  Suisse.'    Tome  xi.  1"  partie  p  "C 
'-'    '  Natural  History  Review,"  1805,  p.  482. 


138 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOIVL. 


m 


i    I 


Mergus  Americanm. — Cnrolua  Clusius*^  gives  the  name  of  Mcrg^is  Americanua 
to  a  foreign  bird  of  which  h  j  had  seen  no  description.  He  got  a  coloured  drawing 
sent  him  by  a  person  described  as  James  Plateau  of  America,  and  figured  this  bird 
in  his  work  referred  tc,  but  the  figure  is  not  a  good  one.  However,  what  is 
awanting  in  the  pictrre  is  made  up  for  by  the  careful  description  which  he  gives, 
and  which  the  late  Dr.  John  Alexander  Smith  **  thought  could  leave  no  doubt  as 
to  the  species.  Clusius  says,  "  Rostrum  aquilinum  et  satis  crassum,  non  planum, 
in  quo  nulla  dentium  vestigia  expressa  apparent;  ejus  autem  partem  pronam 
obliquas  quasdam  strias  habuisse  pictura  fidem  faciebat,  et  anteriorem  capitis 
paulld  supra  rostrum  partem  albd  maculA  insignitam  si  pictor  quidem  legitime 
illam  expresserat,"  &c. 

Anscr  Magellanicus,  sen  ringuini. — Anscr  Magcllanicus,  sen  Pivguini  was 
the  name  used  by  Olaus  Worniius**  in  1G55  for  the  Great  Auk;  but  he  must 
have  had  a  confused  idea  about  the  bird,  for  though  he  figures  the  Great  Auk 
from  one  got  from  the  Farile  Islands,  an<l  which  he  kept  alive  for  several  months 
(of  this  excellent  figure  we  have  been  able  to  give  a  reproduction  at  page  68), 
yet  he  describes  it  as  the  Anser  Magcllanictis,  scu  Pingnini  of  Clusius,  while 
that  author  describes  the  true  Great  Auk  as  the  Mergus  AmcricAmts,  and  the 
Penguin  of  the  Southern  Ocean  as  the  Anser  MageUanicm. 


'IHl 

>'«!' 

P  ' 

I 

^!| 

;:■ '1 '  1 

' 

ilfiL     L 

■1  4 


Alca  impennis^ — Another  name,  and  the  one  which  is  likely  ever  to  remain 
the  designation  by  which  the  Great  Auk  will  be  best  known  to  science,  is  that 
given  to  it  by  Linnaeus — viz.,  Alca  impennis,  L.  Though  this  is  one  of  its  latest 
names,  having  only  come  into  use  towards  the  end  of  last  centurj',  still  it  has 
been  serviceable  in  clearly  separating  the  Great  Auk  from  the  Sphcuiscotnorphae 
of  the  Southern  Hemispliere ;  and  this  is  no  small  service,  as  it  has  removed  the 
cause  of  the  confusion  that  is  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of  ornithologists  who 
lived  previous  to  the  general  adoption  of  this  name  by  scientists. 

Chcnalopex  impennis^'  L  Sp. — This  is  the  name  adopted  in  some  of  our  public 
museums,  and  is  the  name  for  the  Great  Auk  given  in  Gray's  "  Hand-list  of  Birds 


"^  "Exoticnrum  Decern  I.ibri,"  I.eydcn,  1005,  lib.  v.  p.  10.S. 

"  "Proceedings,  Society  of  Antiiiuarics  of  ScotlamI,"  1S7H-9,  p.  9G. 

'''  "  Museum  AVormiiinuni  scu  Historiao  Itcrum  Kuriorum  "  (Copeuhngen),  Leyden,  1C55,  p.  301. 

*'  "  r.inn.  Syst.  Nut.,"  i.  p.  210  (17(!fi). 

*"  "  Ueber  I'lautus  impennis,"'  AVillinm  Preyer,  p.  10  ;  also  "  Ilandl.  of  B.,"  iii.  p.  fl.">,  No.  10,77.t  (1871). 


'"-"sbjW*" 


.^.a^wjai 


NAMES  FOR  THE  GREAT  AUK. 


«39 


in  the  British  Museum."     He  luentious  that  the  author  of  the  generic  name  was 
Moehr.  (Moliring),  who  uses  it  in  1752 ;  it  was  adopted  by  Vieillot  in  1818. 

Other  names. — Other  names  for  the  Great  Auk  are  given  by  various  authors, 
and  the  following  are  those  that  we  have  noted  in  the  course  of  our  studies ;  but 
this  unfortunate  bird  was  known  by  so  many  nauics  that  most  likely  there  are 
others  that  we  have  not  met  with  ■.—Nurthcrn  Auk^^  English ;  TosscfucjC^  Danish ; 
Brillenalk^  aud  ftii/loser  Alk^^  German;  Gurrjwjel — wo  give  this  as  a  Fartiese 
name  at  page  124,  but  it  is  as  the  Swedish  name  we  give  it  here;"'  Professor 
Steenstrup  writes  us,  "It  is  used  by  some  Swedish  naturalists;"  Pluutm  impen- 
TiiV^  Brunuich ;  Matocoptera  imiwnnis,^*  Gloscr;  Alca  horcalisl''^  Unfortunately, 
Professor  W.  Preyer  is  not  accurate  or  reliable  in  his  statements  regarding  the 
Great  Auk,  so  we  cannot  place  implicit  trust  in  the  names  he  gives.  It  is, 
however,  only  right  to  say  that  this  is  probably  less  owing  to  his  fault  than  to 
his  misfortune  in  having  had  to  obtain  liis  information  second  and  third  hand, 
the  originals  not  being  accessible. 


M  "Uebor  I'lautus  iuipounia,"  William  I'reyer,  Heidelberg,  1862,  p.  17. 

«>  Ihid.  p.  17.    I'rofessor  Steenstrup,  22(1  March  1885,  informs  U9  "  Tomjwjl  is  givou  by  aume  Danish 
autliora  as  the  name  for  the  Solan  Cioose,  Hala  alba,  but  never  for  the  Qdrfutil  " 
»»  Ibid.  p.  17. 

"  "Birds  of  Europe,"  II.  E.  Dresser,  vol.  viii.  p.  563. 
»»  Ibid.  p.  563. 

.,  ,";'  ,"  m'''""'  *'''*"'"°  inipennis,"  William  I'reyer,  Hei'lelberg,  1862,  p.  16;  also  "Natur.  ioreu,  Vidensk. 
Mcddel.,    1855,  p.  114. 

»*  "Ucber  I'lautus  impenuis,"  William  I'reyer,  Heidelberg,  18U2,  p.  16, 

"  Forster,  "Sjuopt.  Cat.  Brit.  B.,"p.  21)  (181"). 


iV». 


S  1 


(    140   ) 


J  'i 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CONCLUSION.— THE  PERIOD  DURING  WHICH  THE  GREAT  AUK  LIVED. 

VlfE  have  been  aSlced  repeatedly  whether  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  have  been 
'  '  found  in  a  fossil  state  in  any  geological  strata,  but  so  far  as  we  are  aware 
no  such  remains  have  ever  been  discovered,  and  it  has  somewhat  surprised  us 
to  see  the  change  of  countenance  that  has  come  over  our  interrogators  when 
we  have  told  them  so.  To  have  been  found  in  a  fossil  state  evidently  would 
enhance  the  value  of  such  remains  in  the  eyes  of  some  persons ;  but  it  seems  to 
us  that  it  is  more  probable  that  the  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  will  become  more 
and  more  valuable  because  they  have  not  been  found  in  such  a  state ;  and  we 
think  this  a  good  illustration  of  how  many  extinct  birds  and  animals  may  have 
lived  abundantly  until  comparatively  recent  times  and  yet  have  died  off,  leaving 
not  a  single  trace  that  they  ever  existed.  To  be  preserved  as  geological  specimens 
certain  conditions  are  requisite,  and  as  these  seldom  occur,  and  then  are  generally 
confined  to  limited  areas,  it  is  no  wonder  that  we  have  many  missing  Hnks  in  the 
sequence  of  animated  nature,  and  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  apostles  of  evolution 
to  produce  all  the  evidence  their  opponents  retjuire  to  satisfy  them  that  there  are 
good  grounds  for  the  theory  they  advance. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  we  tliink  we  have  shown  that,  with  the  exception 
of  a  very  few  of  the  larger  and  thicker  bones,  the  skeletons  of  the  Great  Auks 
found  in  the  European  regions  liave  entirely  disappeared,  and  most  probably  this 
has  occurred  within  2000  years  in  Britain,  and,  accnrding  to  Professor  Steeiistrup, 
within  4000  years  in  Denmark ;  while  in  Iceland  only  a  few  of  the  larger  bones 
have  been  found  in  deposits  that  most  likely  were  formed  within  the  last  few 
centuries,  and  cannot  in  any  case  be  more  than  1000  years  old,  as  it  is  only  that 
time  since  tlie  ishmd  was  colonised.  In  North  America  tlie  same  experience 
has  been  repeated,  as  with  the  exception  of  Funk  Island, — the  last  stiongliold 
of  the  bird  in  that  region,  where  several  mummy  Great  Auks  were  found  frozen 


■i 


PERIOD  DURING  WHICH  THE  GREAT  AUK  LIVED. 


141 


in  the  soil,— the  remains  found  in  the  kitchen-middens  have  been  similar  to  those 
discovered  in  Europe. 

These  periods  are  only  as  moments  in  days  of  geological  time,  and  if  after 
the  lapse  of  such  comparatively  short  periods  so  few  bones  of  a  bird  are  left,  we 
may  be  sure  there  is  little  hope  that  any  remains  of  the  Great  Auk  will  ever  be 
found  in  geological  strata,  unless  by  some  unusual  and  remarkable  combination 
of  circumstances  they  have  been  brought  within  reach  of  the  necessary  conditions 
for  their  preservation  in  a  fossil  state. 


' 


Wi  ,  I 


V 


Im 


APPENDIX. 


g 


ii:i 


r  i- 


APPENDIX. 


I. 

RECAPITULATION  OF  THE  VARIOUS  INVESTIGATIONS  CONCERNING 
THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GAREFOWL. 

By  Professok  J.  STEENSTRUP.' 

(Translated  from  the  Danish.) 

WE  iiiuKt  now  endeavour  to  gatlier  tip  in  a  few  short  sentences  what  we  have  learned 
from  the  prei^eding  accounts  of  the  Geirfugl's  appearances  at  the  various  points 
mentioned.  Tlio  better  to  understand  tlio  following  summary,  the  reader  will  please  com- 
pare the  accompanying  map.     (See  original  Paix'r.) 

1.  Tiio  Geirfugl  has  never  been  a  really  Arctic  bird, — that  is  to  say,  a  bird  which 
chiefly  has  its  resorts  and  its  resting-places  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  There  is,  perhaps, 
not  even  a  single  jiarticlo  of  evidence  to  prove  that  it  has  ever  been  seen  within  the  Arctic 
Circle,  even  in  casual  individual  specimens. 

The  Geirfuijls  that  have  been  observed  farthest  north  are  those  seven  which  were 
killed  by  an  Icelandic  peasant  on  the  rock  under  Lautrum-Fugloberg,  as  mentioned  in  his 
aceount  given  to  Fabor.  Yet  even  these  chance  stray  specimens  did  not  come  at  all  near 
the  Arctic  Circle.  The  most  northerly  known  nesting-places  are  the  Geirfugl-rocks,  olf  the 
coast  of  Iceland,  between  G.'J'  and  G4°  N.  Even  if  one  assumes  a  nesting-place  at 
F"redorikshaab,  in  Greenland  (and  that  rests  only  on  the  doubtful  basis  of  the  ono  pro- 
blematical young  bird  mentioned  by  I'abricius),  even  it  does  not  lie  so  far  north.^     Tlius 


1  As  no  part  of  rrofessdi-  J.  Steenstnip's  valuiible  paper  on  the  Great  Auk  has  been  translated,  as  far 
as  we  are  aware,  int.i  Kn^'lisli,  except  what  wc  have  given  at  p.ige  31,  wo  have  thought  his  summing  up 
of  tlio  results  <if  his  studies  well  worthy  of  being  brought  within  reach  of  British  Ornithologists.  As  the 
pa]ier  referred  to  was  written  in  lS,").'i,  allowance  must  be  made  for  some  slight  inaccuracies  which  have 
been  (liscovered  since  wo  have  had  fuller  information  on  the  subject.  But  as  a  whole,  the  veteran 
I'mfesBor's  statements  are  wonderfully  correct. -S.  tlrieve. 

-'  There  C9n  be  no  dimbt  that  it  was  the  young  of  quite  another  bird  than  Alca  impennis  which  was 
seen  by  Fabrioius.— J.  Steenstrup,  15th  March  1885. 


WM 


r 

W 

^^K'-''' 

il 

li 

1 

i 

1 

i 

I. 


i'  I 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


the  most  nortliorly  actually  known  nesting-plnco  of  the  Geirfugl  does  not  reach  the  southern 
boundary  of  that  zone  of  latitude  which  has  hitherto  been  assumed  to  bo  the  proper  homo 
of  this  bird. 

2.  Nor  has  the  Geirfugl  in  later  times  bcconio  an  Arctic  bird.  There  are  at  least  no 
observations  in  proof  of  the  supposition  that  it  has  bi'en  chased  \\\>  from  southern  parts 
into  these  Arctic  regions. 

3.  The  home  of  the  Geirfugl,  as  marked  out  by  its  historically  known  breeding-places, 
fell  along  the  edge  of  the  upi)L'r  part  {lurrtherti  part)  of  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean,  In  this 
Anglo-Sa.\on  portion  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  the  breeding-places  of  the  Oeirfutjl  formed,  as 
it  were,  a  lialf-circlo  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  coast-lino  of  the  mainland  or  the 
larger  islands.  If  wo  begin  with  the  western  Geirfugl-roek,  off  Iceland,  as  the  most 
northerly  point,  the  semicircle  went  towards  the  west  down  over  Funk  Island  (if  over 
Labrador,  is  very  doubtful),  Penguin  Island,  off  the  south  coast  of  Newfoundland,  the 
Bird  Islands,  in  the  Bay  of  St.  Lawrence,  Cape  Breton,  and  not  improbably  right  down  to 
Capo  Cod.  Towards  the  other, — i.e.  the  eastern  side, — the  semicircle  passed  over  the 
southern  Geirfuglrock,  near  Westmannuo,  and  the  eastern  near  Ingolfsliofde,  the  Fiiroe 
Islands  and  St.  Kildii. 

4.  Over  all  this  expanse  the  Geirfwjl  has  been  known  to  breed  only  on  rocks  or  out- 
lying islands  situated  at  a  distance  of  from  two  to  fifteen  miles  from  the  larger  islands,  or 
the  continuous  coastline  of  the  mainland.  Now,  this  can  have  been  the  case  with  the  bird 
from  the  very  lirst ;  but  we  can  also  quite  well  sujipose  tliis  state  of  matters  to  have  arisen 
out  of  recent  persecutions  of  it,  so  that  it  has  remained  only  in  such  distant,  not  easily 
accessible,  places.  If  we  follow  the  course  of  the  bird's  disappearance,  we  cannot  but  be 
led  to  the  assumption  that  these  outlying  islands  are  only  the  remains  of  a  former  more 
general  distribution  (jf  the  bird  over  those  islands  also  that  lie  nearer  the  coast,  and,  it  may 
be,  over  the  coa.st  itself.  Certainly,  a  natural  cliain  of  reasoning  leads  ustoassuiiie  that  its 
historical  decline  within  the  last  two  hundred  years  is  only  a  continuation  of  what  was 
going  on  for  centuries  proviou.«ly,  though  not  then  perhaps  in  the  same  proportion.  A  bird 
so  defenceless  as  the  ( i eirjuijl  amuol  bo  imagined  as  breeding  on  the  coastof  the  mainland, 
or  on  the  most  closely  adjacent  islands,  witliout  being  in  a  high  degree  a  spoil  for  beasts 
and  birds  of  prey,  and  above  all  for  man. 

.").  All  the  above-mentioned  outlying  islands  are  so  placed  in  the  ocean  and  its  currents 
that  only  very  few  of  them — for  example,  Funk  Island — can  be  within  general  reach  of 
the  ice-drifts.  AVe  have,  therefort!,  no  cause  to  assume  a  propensity  on  the  ])art  of  tliis 
bird  to  live  in  the  neighbourhood  of  iields  of  ice. 

6.  On  none  of  the  places  on  which  the  Unr/iii/l  has  been  observed  within  historic 
times  has  it  been  seen  in  so  groat  abundance  as  on  the  islands  oil'  Newfoundland.  On  the 
wiiole,  the  western  side  of  the  Atlantic  (Jcean  must  be  regarded  as  the  chief  resort  of  the 
ikirfufjl  during  liistoric  times,  whil.st  even  tiie  earliest  notices  we  have  of  the  (Ipirfuijl':^ 
appearance  on  the  islands  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Atlantic  describe  it  as  being  rare  and 
represented  by  but  few  individuals. 

7.  On  all  the  above-mentioned  points,  it  has  in  the  meantime  either  entirely  disappeared, 
or  else  come  so  near  extirpation  that,  .so  far  as  our  presi'iit  knowledge  goes,  there  dues  not 
seem  any  likeliiiood  of  its  existing  in  any  colony  of  size.     On  the  west  Geir/iigl-ivck  off 


F 


APPENDIX. 


Iceland  it  still,  according  to  all  probability,  lives  and  breeds,  although  even  that  colony  must 
bo  a  tolerably  small  one. 

8.  The  Gdrfugl's  disappearance  (and  this  disappearance  must  not  bo  regarded  as  a 
migration,  much  less  a  natural  dying  out,  but  as  an  extirpation)  has  its  chief  cause  in  the 
devastations  wrought  by  man.  AVith  a  view  to  dietary  purposes,  men  have  at  certain  times 
caught  the  bird  to  an  extent  quite  out  of  proportion  to  the  conditions  under  which  the  con- 
tinued existence  of  the  species  was  alone  possible.  Yet  the  bird,  whilst  disappearing,  has 
in  so  far  helped  to  tlio  attainment  of  a  higher  object,  as  it  has  evidently  been  for  a  long 
space  of  time  one  of  tlie  means  that  have  essentially  facilitated  the  prosecution  of  fishin"  on 
the  Banks  of  Newfoundland. 

Inasmuch  as  certain  of  the  Oeirfugt's  nesting-places  have  often  been  liable  to  violent 
natural  disturbances,  we  have  in  this  fact  also  at  least  a  subsidiary  cause  of  the  GeirfugVa 
decrease  in  and  disappearance  from  a  few  places— for  example,  from  the  Geirfiujl-vncks,  off 
Iceland. 

9.  How  far  down  towards  the  soutli  the  Oeir/u;/!  in  former,  but  now  far  distant  ages, 
has  followed  the  coasts  of  North  America  or  Europe,  can  of  course  only  be  decided''by 
similar  investigations,  and  by  such  finds  as  that  which  gave  occasion  to  the  present  essay. 
Should  bones  of  this  bird  come  to  light  in  much  more  southerly  latitudes  (which  I  do  not 
look  upon  as  improbable),  one  may  at  least  regard  it  as  certain  that  there  is  now  enough 
known  of  its  history  to  decide  that  its  disappearance  is  not  attributable  to  any  change  in 
nature,  but  only  to  the  liand  of  man. 


I    I 


(     4     ) 


i'4 


m 


•r; 


: pi'  f 


■i'...  *■* 


< 


II. 

EP1T05IISED  TRANSLATION  kiiom  the  Okrman  op  that  part  op  Professor 
Wh.  ]ii,AsiLM'  nEcf:xr  I'ami'IILET  ("  Zvn  Geschiuhtk  per  Ueukkrkste  von  Alca 
iMPENNis,  Linn.  J "  Nal'mburo,  a/S  1884)  which  treats  of  the  Skins  axu  Egos. 

1"<HPv  originul  paper  of  Professor  William  lilasiiis  is  of  sudi  li'ii;,'th  that  we  regret 
beiiij,' unalilo  to  aiforJ  spiico  for  a  full  translation  of  it.  Tlio  following  epitome  gives 
full  information  reganling  skins  an<l  eggs  of  A/ca  iiiqiinnis  which  are  in  foreign  eoUections, 
information  regarding  these  being  difficult  for  English  readers  to  obtain.  Where  Pro- 
fessor lUasius  refers  to  skins  and  eggs  in  IJritish  collections,  we  generally  give  the  English 
sources  of  information,  but  do  not  enter  into  details.  We  have  to  acknowledge  our  obliga- 
tions to  the  learned  Professor  for  his  permission  to  give  tliis  translation.  AVhere  his  remarks 
are  condensed  we  have  placed  Imickets. 

LIST  OF  STUEFEI)  SKINS  OF  THE  GREAT  AUK. 

1.  Aalliohu,  Laalaml,  Dintnark. — AVriting  to  nio  on  the  18th  November  1883, 
Professor  Japetus  Steenstrup  mentions  that  during  the  summer  of  that  year  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  this  specimen.  It  is  the  jjroporty  of  Count  Rabeii,  and  is  in  his 
country  liou.se  at  Aalholm,  Nysted,  Liialand.  It  is  badly  stuffed,  but  as  a  skin  is  well  pre- 
served. No  i)revious  mention  appears  to  have  been  made  of  this  specimen  in  the  literature 
of  the  Great  Auk. 

It  was  a  Danish  count,  V.  C.  Raben,  who  went  along  with  Faber  and  a  Danish 
botanist,  MiJrck,  in  that  dangerous  voyage  (29th  -lune  to  2<l  July  1821),  when  the  sub- 
sequently submerged  Cieirfuglasker  was  visited  for  the  last  time,  and  when  also  a  visit 
was  paid  to  the  skerry  off  Reykjanes,  called  the  (irenadier's  Cap,  which  also  has  not  been 
visited  again  up  to  this  time.  In  both  cases  it  was  Count  Raben  alone  who  effected  a 
landing,  and  that,  too,  at  the  jx'ril  of  his  life.  Writing  to  me  on  25th  November  1883, 
Profes.sor  Newton  says  that  if  the  present  Count  Raben  is  the  representative  or  actual 
descendant  of  Kaber's  fellow-voyager,  and  the  Aalholm  specimen  belonged  originally  to 
him,  then  he  must  probably  have  obtaineil  it  after  his  ix'turn  from  Iceland,  for  Fabcr  .sivys 
distinctly  that  during  his  three  year.s'  stay  in  Iceland  (1819-21)  he  could  not  jirocuro  any 
specimen  of  the  (Iri'at  Auk. 

[r>ut  ISlasius  says  that  Ciuint  Raben  may  have  got  his  specimen  after  he  had  jjarted 
company  with  Faber.  He  tliinks  that  the  Aalholm  specimen  may  be  one  of  the  two  which 
Woliey  and  Newton  {Ihis,  1861,  ]>.  387)  mention  on  the  authority  of  Sigurd  Jonsson  as 
having  been  killed  with  a  .sail-jKde  on  a  low-lying  rock  olf  Hellirknipa,  betweiMi  Skagi  and 
Kel)lavik,  a  few  days  after  the  end  of  Fabcr's  sea-trip.      Faber,  Blasius  points  out,  could 


=ii>' ,' 


APPENDIX. 


have  had  no  opportunity  of  learning  about  theso  two  specimens.  He  says  tlmt  as  these 
two  specimens,  whose  subsequent  liistory  has  never  been  clearly  eluciilatetl,  were,  on  the 
authority  of  Sig^ird  .Tonsson,  skinned  in  the  same  way  as  Arctic  foxes  and  other  mammals, 
namely,  by  having  a  hole  pierced  transversely  through  the  legs,  if  it  could  be  found  out 
that  the  Aalholm  specimen  has  been  skinned  in  the  same  way,  it  would  serve  to  confirm 
his  conjecture.] 

I  shall  not.  however,  conceal  tliQ  fact  that  Newton  brings  forward  a  very  probable 
expliination  of  tJie  subsequent  history  of  these  two  sjiecimens.  Jonsson  states  the  skins 
tame  into  the  hands  of  Asgrimur  Saemonsson,  an  inhabitant  of  Kyrarbakki.  Now,  it  was 
exactly  from  Eynirbakki  that,  in  1823,  the  skins  of  two  old  birds  in  breeding  plumage  were, 
according  to  Fabcr  (Ixin,  1827,  p.  G8.3)  sent  to  the  Koynl  ^Museum  of  Copenhagen,  the 
information  given  regarding  tiiem  being  that  they  were  killed  by  a  boy  with  a  stick  on  a 
skerry  near  that  place.  Newton,  therefore,  would  hold  the  two  pairs  of  skins  to  be  identi- 
cal, lint  even  if  this  conjecture  be  right,  there  was,  according  to  Newton's  investigations, 
n  third  skin  that  figured  at  that  time,  for  he  says  (Ibis,  1861,  p.  387),  "Some  persons  to 
whom  we  spoke  said  that  Faber  had  got  three  specimens."  By  this  it  can  only  be  meant, 
seeing  that  Faber  actually  got  no  skins  at  all  in  Iceland,  that  they  sought  to  sell  three  skins 
to  him.  This  tliird  bird  may  have  been  a  third  one  killed  near  llellirkiiipa,  or  perhaps  the 
specimen  caught  in  the  year  1818  on  South  Island,  mentioned  not  oidy  by  Kjiirbiiiling 
(Danmark's  "Fugle,"  1856,  p.  415),  but  also  before  him  by  Faber  (Isin,  1827,  p.  682). 
At  any  rate,  it  is  possible  that  Count  Raben  got  this  third  specimen  afterwards,  as  men- 
tioned by  some  eye-witnesses,  during  his  stay  in  Iceland  at  that  time. 

At  all  events,  it  is  in  the  highest  degree  probable  that  the  specimen  originally  came 
from  Iceland. 

2.  Aamii,  Sirlizerhoul — [This  is  a  fully-coloured  specimen,  and  was  jiresented  to  the 
Museimi  of  Aarau  by  Counsellor  of  State  Frey-Herosee,  sometime  about  the  year  1865. 
Frey-II(5roseo  bought  it  in  1842  or  1843  from  the  father  of  Dr.  G.  Michalielle.s,  who  had 
died  at  Naujilia  in  1835,  on  his  paying  the  price  of  SO  florins  which  was  asked  for  it  by  a 
friend  of  I)r.  C.  Micliidielles.  Victor  Fatio  thinks  that  this  is  one  of  the  specimens 
described  by  ^Slicbahelles  in  I.iis  (year  1833,  page  650).  F.iit  lilasius  thinks  that  the  friend 
•  if  Dr.  C.  Michahelles,  r-  iiaining  in  ignorance  of  the  hitter's  death  in  1835,  sent  it  to  his 
address  about  1840.  In  that  case  it  would  be  one  of  the  three  skins  which,  as  'Wolley 
and  Newton  ascertained  (Ihin,  1860,  p.  390;  "Journal  fiir  Oniithologie,"  1860.  p.  32"), 
were  sold  in  August  1840  or  1841  along  with  the  body  of  a  bird  and  a  number  of  eggs  by 
Factor  C.  Thaae  to  S.  .Tacobsen,  the  other  two  being  at  present  probably  in  Ihemen  and 
Oldenburg.  lUit  certainly,  I.lasius  says,  the  Aarau  specimen  is  of  Icelandic  origin,  as  all 
Jlichahelles'  specimens  came  thence.] 


3.  Abbeville,  France. — [The  Mus6e  de  la  Ville  possesses  a  specimen  coming  from  the 
collection  of  De  la  Motte.  (See  A.  Newton  in  "  Nat.  Hist.  Review,"  Oct.  1865;  Journal 
fiir  Orn.,  1866,  p.  404,  and  Ibis,  1870,  p.  258.)  Doubtful  whence  De  la  .Motte  got  it, 
C.  D.  Dcgland  ("Oniithologie  Kuropt^ene,"  first  edit.,  vol.  ii.  p.  529,  date  1849;  and 
"Naumannia,"  ji.  423,  date  1855),  says  that  from  forty  to  fifty  years  before  his  time  tliree 


THE  GREAT  AVK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


specimens  wore  killed  at  ClierljourK,  ime  of  wliicli  fouiiil  its  wiiy  into  Do  la  Motto's  colloc 
tion.  l!ut  A.  Nowton  (in  "  Nat.  Hist.  Kcview,"  Oct.  1805,  and  "  Journal  forOrn,,"  1866, 
p.  404)  thinks  that  ho  has  dearly  proved  that  the  Abhoville  siweiinen  came  from  Copen- 
hagen, and  in  ail  probahility  originally  from  Iceland.  Writing  to  lilasius,  17th  Nov.  1883, 
he  ."ays  :  "  The  specimen  in  the  Alibovillc  Museum  was  ccrtaiidy  not  killed  at  Cherbourg; 
it  was  got  in  Iceland,  and  sent  in  the  year  1831  to  Monsieur  I)e  la  Motto  from  the  Royal 
Museum  in  (A)|)eidiagen,  as  I  havo  learned  from  my  good  old  friend  Rcinhardt.  I 
thoroughly  distrust  Degland's  .story  aljout  the  Itirds  killed  at  Cherbourg."  Dros.sor  ("  Birds 
of  Euroiie,"  vol,  viii.  p.  r)65)  also  discredits  Degland's  account.] 

4.  Amiens,  France. — [The  Museo  de  la  Ville  here  possesses  a  specimen  which  A.  New- 
ton saw  himself  (Ilni>,  1870,  p.  2.")8  ;  "Bull.  Soc.  Ornith.  Suisse," tomo  ii.,  partio  2,  p.  151), 
and  that,  as  ho  writes  to  Blasius,  as  late  as  1802,  so  that  this  .specimen  assigned  to  Amiens 
can  by  no  means  be  the  same  as  that  which  Capt.  A.  Vouga  of  Cortaillod  got  about  tho 
year  1838  by  way  of  Amiens.  Prof.  A.  Newton,  writing  to  Blasius,  thinks,  but  is  not  quite 
siire,  that  this  Amiens  .specimen  came  from  tho  collection  of  A.  I)(daliaye,  formerly  Director 
of  the  Natural  History  Museum  of  St.  Omer,  who  got  it  originally  from  Mecldonburg  at 
Flensburg.     Thu.s  this  specimen  is  probably  of  Icelandic  origin.]     8ee  also  p.  79. 

r>.  Amsterdam,  Holland. — This  siiocinien,  which  is  to  be  found  in  tho  Museum  of  the 
Koyal  Zoological  Society,  was  first  mentioned  by  Champley  ("  Ann.  &  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.," 
1864,  p.  235).  It  is  not,  as  I  first  conjectured,  the  specimen  which  the  Mainz  Museum 
disposed  of  by  way  of  exchange  to  f!.  A.  Frank,  dealer  in  zoological  wares,  Amsterdam,  but 
was,  as  Herr  G.  A.  Frank,  Lnndou,  tho  son  of  (!.  A.  Frank,  has  informed  mo,  obtained 
direct  from  his  father  on  a  dillVrent  occasion  ;  namely,  in  1843.  Professor  A.  Newton  saw 
this  skin  as  early  as  1800. 

6.  Berlin,  Germany. — [Is  in  the  Koyal  Zoological  Museum.  Given  in  Lichtonstein's 
"  Nomenclator  Avium,"  1854,  p.  105,  with  tho  reference  "Polar  Sea."  Prcyor  ("Journal 
fiir  Ornithologie,"  1802,  p.  78)  .says  that  it  boars  the  inscription:  "Alca  impennis,  Linn., 
Polarmeer.  Rcinhardt."  Prof.  J.  Cabanis  of  Berlin,  writing  to  Blasius,  says  that  it  was  in 
tho  Museum  before  his  time,  i.e.  before  1838,  and  that  it  probably  found  its  way  into  tho 
Museum  through  tho  close  intimacy  subsisting  between  Lichtenstein  and  Keinhardt  (senior). 
Director  of  the  Koyal  Museum  of  Copenhagen,  whoso  name  appears  on  the  inscription. 
Like  all  tho  specimens  coming  from  Copenhagen,  it  must  be  of  Icelandic  origin.  •  Accord- 
ing to  Prof.  W.  Preyer  ("  Plautus  Impennis,"  Di.ss.  1802,  p.  11,  and  "Journal  fiir 
Ornithologie,"  1802,  ]>.  119)  it  has  on  the  point  of  the  beak  eight  cross-furrows  above  and 
twelve  below.] 


'  From  soniu  inaniiscriiit  notu«  in  his  pooiicsiiiion  riKiirding  tlio  lii»tory  of  Ah-n  impennis,  Professor 
Steenstnip  has  kindly  furnished  us  with  thi>  following  information  :  "  I'rofossor  Lichtenstein,  in  a  letter 


dated  ir>th  March  1831,  acknowledijed  receipt  of  the  suid  skin.' 
had  got  it  from  Iceland  the  same  year." — S.  Grieve. 


Profemor  Stecnstrup  adds,  "  Our  museum 


APPENDIX. 


7.  Bojjnfi  Oourt,  Emit,  Enrjlaml— [Prof.  Newton  is  informed  by  a  letter  from  Mr.  A.  I). 
Hnrtlett  that  tlie  specimen  which  bi'longed  to  Mr.  Hoy,  who  died  more  than  40  years  ago,  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Lescner,  a  sister  of  Mr.  Hoy's.] 

8  and  9.—Drurmwick,  Germany.— [Ono  is  the  property  of  the  Museum  ;  the  other  is  a 
loan  from  a  private  party.  The  former  was  bought  from  Frank  certainly  before  May  1842, 
and  probably  between  1830  and  1840.  Tim  latter  can  bo  traced  back  to  the  possession  of 
Baron  von  I'echlin,  Danish  deputy  to  the  old  Diet  of  the  Gornian  Confederation.  Cross- 
furrows  of  the  former  /o,  of  the  latter  y.,.',^.  Both  probably  of  Icelandic  origin,  as  can  be 
told  especially  from  the  manner  in  which  they  have  been  prepared.] 

10.  Bremen,  Ui'rmaiiij.—k  sppciiiion  in  a  good  stat(!  of  preservation  in  the  Municipal 
Collections  for  Natural  History  and  Ethnography.  It  was  bought  at  the  time  of  the  Bremen 
Congress  of  German  Naturalists  in  the  year  1844  by  Dr.  llartlaub  from  Salmin  of  Hamburg, 
a  dealer  in  zoological  wares,  for  th(!  price  of  .£G.  In  all  probability  this  is  one  of  the  three 
.skins  mentioned  by  Wolley  and  Newton  as  having  been  got  on  Eldoy  island  near  Iceland 
in  tlie  year  1840  .r  1841, i  the  otlier  two  being  now  in  Aarau  and  Oldenburg  (or  perhaps 
Kiel).  But  perhaps  it  is  the  specimen  that  Frey  llerosde  sent  away  about  this  time  in  ex- 
change to  Hamburg. 

11  and  12.  Iheslan,  Gfrmany.—Two  specimens  in  the  Zoological  Museum  of  the 
University,  to  which  attention  was  first  called  by  Alexander  von  Homeyerin  the  "Journal 
fur  Ornithologie,"  1865,  p.  151.  He  says  they  are  the  skins  of  aged  birds,  and  are  pre- 
sumably to  bo  regarded  as  a  pair  ( ^  and  ?  ).  The  furrows  on  the  points  of  their  beaks 
are,  he  say.s.  respectively  |».  and  ,",.  Regarding  their  origin.  Prof.  Dr.  A.  Schneider,  the 
present  director  of  the  said  Museum,  wrote  to  me  on  the  24th  Nov.  1883  :  "  No  do.niment8 
remain  relating  to  the  origin  of  the  two  A!ca  imjminig  in  our  possession.  According  to  the 
account  of  the  conservator,  which  rests  on  oral  tradition,  they  were  both  probably  bought 
from  an  itinerant  dealer  between  1830  and  1840.  I  conjecture  that  the  dealer  in  question 
Would  be  I'latow,  wlio  was  well  known  in  (lerman  towns  as  a  museum  proprietor  and  a 
dealer  in  zoological  wares.  Piissler  (in  the  "Journal  fiir  Ornith.,"  1860,  p.  59)  says  that 
riatow  is  known  to  have  sold  two  eggs  of  this  rare  bird.  The  family  Platow  belongs  to 
Freiburg  in  Silesia,  and  it  is  very  likely  that  the  itinerant  dealer  who  sought  all  round  wares 
to  buy,  in  order  again  to  sell  tliem  all  round,  would  bring  back  from  one  of  his  tours  two 
Great  Auks  for  the  collections  of  Breslau,  tlie  capital  of  his  native  province.  Heinrich 
I'latow,  the  son  of  old  Platow,  continued  the  business  in  a  similar  manner  after  his  father's 
death,  and  was,  for  example,  '.Ji  his  journeys  with  his  museum  in  the  spring  of  1879 
in  Brunswick,  in  the  summer  in  Witten,  Bochum,  &c.,  in  the  winter  following  in 
Solingen,  &c. 


'  Professor  Stef n«tr.ip  infoniis  ui  "  that  the  statement  is  doubtful,  and  that  he  rather  thinkn  the  skin 
was  got  iu  1844  "  He  then  yoes  on  to  say  that  "  he  prefers  a  certain  tra<lition  n,et  with  here  (C(>i)enhagen), 
that  the  skin  soKl  to  Bremen  in  1S44  belonged  to  one  of  our  la-st  individuals  lone  of  those  preserved  iu 
spirits)  got  in  1844."— S.  Grieve. 


i  I 
i 


^1 


'If 


^  \ 


ji  I 


h 


I    .1 


8 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


13  and  14.  Jirujhton,  Emjland. — Tliore  wore  two  fiiio  Aiwciincna  in  the  coUuction  of 
Georgo  Dawson  Rowluy,  who  iliud  on  2lHt  Xovcnibur,  1878  (soo  Nowton  in  fliia,  1870,  p. 
259^.  Tlio  colloction  now  Ijulon^js  probably  to  liis  widow  (nhou/il  lie  liin  son).  Ono  of 
thorn  belonged,  up  to  18G9,  to  tlio  coUoction  of  Count  \Wstorhoit-(ilikL'nborg,  of  Westor- 
holt,  in  tlio  district  near  Miinstor,  and  Altuni  ("  Journal  fUr  Orn.,"  18G3,  p.  115)  mentions 
it  as  l)eing  his.  Ilorr  ( !.  A.  Fmnk  of  London  finds  in  tho  business  books  of  his  lato  father, 
Ir.  A.  Frank  of  AniPterduni,  that  the  latter  in  1809  bought  it  for  10  Lo\iisd'or  out  of  tho 
collection  of  Count  Wontcrholt-(ilik('nlierg,  and  Hoon  sold  it  again  to  Ooorge  Dawson  Rowley. 
Rowley's  second  specimen  was  bought  in  1808  from  Gardner  of  London,  who  got  it  in  1848 
from  Lcffcvre  of  Paris.  It  is  probable  that  tho  collection  of  the  deceased  Mr.  Rowley  (which 
it  may  be  said  coiitaiiieil  also  six  eggs)  is  preserved  in  his  mansion  of  Chichester  House, 
East  Cliff,  Brighton. 

15.  lirn8;'i'lK,  IkJijiiim. — An  old  specimen  in  breeding  i)lunmgo,  lirst  mentioned  by  A. 
Nowton  (Ihix,  1870,  p.  L'iVJ),  is  to  be  found  in  the  ^Iu^eo  Royal  d'llistoire  Naturelle.  It 
was  bought  when  the  Musee  was  under  the  numagemcnt  of  Viscount  liernard  du  Bus  de 
Ghisignies  {ah.  1874). 

16.  Cambridge,  Ewjlaml. — Champley  ("  Annals  and  Mag.  of  Natural  History,"  vol.  xiv., 
p.  235,  year  18G4)  seems  to  bo  the  first  to  mention  this  specimen.  It  is  in  tho  University 
Museum  of  Zoology,  Some  time  ago  I'rof.  A.  Nowton  informed  me  that  some  of  the  bones 
from  its  extremities  were  taken  to  complete  the  Ciunbridge  skeleton,  wiiich,  as  well  as 
three  eggs,  belong  to  the  collection  of  tho  brothers  A.  and  E.  Newton.' 

17.  Clialon-xiir-Sdi'iiii',  Franci'. — [I)r.  I!.  F.  dc  Moiitcssus,  a  well-known  ornithologist 
of  this  town,  bought  from  Dr.  L.  W.  Schaufu.s.s  df  Dresden  the  skin  of  an  Alva  imjiemiin, 
which  Schaufuss  had  in  .lanuary  1873  advertised  for  sale  l)y  means  of  a  circular.  As  Dr. 
Schaufuss  tells  lilasius  by  letter,  Montessus  had  |)reviously  bought  from  him  numerous  birds 
for  his  beautiful  collection  (mentioia-d  in  "Naumannia"  IS.')."*,  I.,  p.  112),  so  that  there  is 
good  reason  for  believing  that  the  auk  then  acquired  by  Montessus  has  been  permanently  in- 
corporated in  his  collection.  Ho  got  into  the  bargain  two  skins  of  the  AIra  Ionia  in  order 
to  improve  it,  for  it  was  oidy  a  badly  stuffed  bird  again  turned  into  a  skin.  Its  origin  is 
doubtful.  Schaufuss  thinks  it  is  the  one  that  once  belonged  to  C.  E.  (!otz  of  Dresden  (see 
Al.  Naumann,  "ISull.  Soc.  Ornith.  Suisse,"  tmiK^  ii.,  partie  2,  p.  148).  ISut  this,  says 
Blasius,  is  very  unlikely,  (uit/.'s  specimen,  according  to  tho  joint  testimony  of  (1.  A.  Frank 
of  Amsterdam  and  Spencer  F.  Baird  of  Washington  (cited  by  A.  Newton,  Ibix,  1870,  p. 
269)  was  sold  to  tho  Smithonian  Institution  in  Washington.  Perhaps  it  is  the  sjjecimen 
which  was  left  by  the  apothecary  Mechlenburg  of  Fleiisburg  iu  his  collection  at  his  death 

'  I'rofesBiir  Newton,  in  a  letter  to  tfie  nutlior,  dated  17th  Sept,  1884,  sayH  ;  "The  existence  of  tfie 
etiiffed  skin  at  Canil)ii<lge  was  first  recorded,  some  forty  or  forty-five  years  sinee,  in  tfie  printttd  Catalogue 
of  tile  Museum  of  the  t'amljridge  I'liilosniiliical  .Society,  whence  it  was  transferred  to  ttiat  of  tliu  University. 
At  |ia|,'e  VSi  of  liis  treatise  rrofessor  Blasius  retracts  wluit  he  states  above,  and  says  the  skill  was  first 
mentioned  by  Jeiiyns  in  1S30."     (Ciitul.  Coll.  Miis.  Camb.  I'hilosp.  Soc,  p.  15.)— S.  Oriuvc. 


APPENDIX. 


in  18G1.  Up  to  this  timo  Flon.sburg  lui8  always  boon  credited  with  a  specimen  ;  but  there 
13  now  no  skill  or  stulFcd  spocinieu  whatever  of  the  Alca  impennis  tliero  ■] 

18.  ClnnimiMd   ShropMro,  E,u,land.-[A  Mr.  Rocko  hero,  now  dead,  possessed  a 
specimen      binco  h.s  death,  whi.^h  took  place  not  so  long  ago,  it  is  probably,  says  Newton 
writing  to  Llas.us  (2Cth  Nov.  188:)),  still  in  the  hands  of  some  member  of  his  fumilv 
This  specmien  has  often  changed  its  owner.     G.  A.  Frank  sold  it.  along  with  another  specV- 

Orn.th.  18C0  p  206),  but  got  it  back  again  in  1800  in  exchange  for  the  skin  of  an 
Indian  tap>r  (W.  Proyer  "  Journal  fiir  (Jrnith.,"  18C2,  p.  78),  a  fact  corroborated  to  Blasius 
by  Ilerr  Irank  of  London  from  the  books  of  his  deceased  father,  Herr  G.  A.  Frank  of 
Amsterdam.     Ivewton  tells  Llasius  that  immediately  after  Frank  sold  it  to  Gould,  and 

Tiuil'£:i,!:^T "      ""'" '"' '"'"' ' ''""' '"*" ''°"''' '"^"^ '."° ^''^^^ 

CopenlMijen.—Hon  Kojienhagen  under  K. 

nf  C  ^f-,f'f  .'"'"f '  ^''ffel,  S,dfzerland.-h,  the  private  collection  of  Captain  A.Vouga 

1  s  u  t, .T  \  :T,fl  !;"""'"■'  ""  '"''^  "'  """'""^^  •^•"""'«"'  ^'  -'-^  Victor  Fatio 
Vonr  ir  ^'t  '-^  '""?"  «"«-^J^"'"'-S'"-"")  on  the  information  of  Captain 
Vouga.  Ho  has  also  given  at  tiie  end  of  his  paper  a  coloured  plate  of  the  bird  after  a  water- 
colour  done  by  a  son  of  the  Captain's.  In  1868  Vouga  had  already  been  some  thirty  years 
in  poas  ssiono  It.  According  to  him  it  was  brought  preserved  in  salt  by  some  whale- 
fishers  to  a  port  in  the  north  of  France.     It  was  stuffed  in  Amiens,  and  sent  by  the  dresser 

pose  that  the  1  end.  whale-l.shers  brought  it  from  the  coasts  of  Nuwfoundiand  ;  though  it 
proviSonr  ''  '"  "'"''''"  °"  '°'""  ^'"'""^''^  '^'"^'  ""^  ''^^-^  «"''°'i  "^  ««'^«  ^^' 

head  is  gei^rr"'  ^""""^-^^^'^"  '^  ^  '^'^^  '"  ^'--'-l^.  "^  -^-'^  only  the 

tome'""  ftS;  ^'T^-^";/^-.  !>'''""'  (""'•"itl'ologie  Europdenne,"  lirst  edit.,  1849, 
tome  ,1    p.  ,^.9)    following  the  infonuation  given  by  Hardy  in    his  cataloc-ue  o    birds 

rir- ;  sin  r  ;■":";  '^f  i-r-^r  ^--''  <"  ^""-"-  ^i"  i-Assodation  deia  liS! 

.7    o  diiw,  :/  .        \'''''"  "f;"  ""  ""'  '^^"'''^  "^  ''"«  -"'"^y- '"  "-  "'onth  of  April 

of  two  hfieiont  years,    wo  Great  Auks  were  found  on  the  shore  near  Dieppe.     One  of  them 

as  k,  led     he  other  foun.l  dead.     One  of  them  fouml  its  way  into  lirdy's  coll  cUo 

badand.„i  egg  as  existing  .„  Hardy's  collection  (which  is  now  presumably  in  the  Musdedo 


I884'n"''-T,*'"'l''"'^  (Contrib„ti,.n«  i  la  Faune  ornithologique  de  I'Europe  occidentale.     Fascicule   I 


•'P: 

V 


i  \ 


i  ^  'H 


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\  I 


10 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


la  Ville),  and  this  seems  tolerably  certain ;  but  the  alleged  origin  of  this  specimen  of 
Hardy's  is  very  much  doubted  by  Professor  Newton,  with  whom  Dresser  ("  Birds  of  Europe," 
vol.  viii.  p.  565)  agrees.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  Dieppe  specimen,  like  the  Abbeville 
one,  is  of  Icelandic  origin.  My  earlier  communication  regarding  the  origin  of  this  speci- 
men, in  the  "  Thinl  Yearly  Report  of  the  Brunswick  Association  for  Natural  History,"  must 
consequently  in  all  probability  be  corrected.* 

21.  Dresden,  Germany, — There  is  in  the  Royal  Zoological  Museum,  besides  the  egg 
out  of  Thienemann's  collection,  a  well-preserved  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk  (mentioned  also 
by  Preyer  in  the  "Journal  fur  Ornithologie,"  1862,  p.  78).  Writing,  23d  Nov.  1883,  the 
director  of  that  Museum,  Herr  Hofrath  Dr.  A.  B.  Meyer,  has  kindly  funiiahed  me  with  the 
following  particulars  :  "  Our  Alca  impennis  belongs  to  the  old  contents  of  the  collection,  and 
is,  so  far  as  I  know,  first  mentioned  by  Reichenbach  in  his  manual,  'Das  Konigliche 
Naturhistorischo  Museum,'  1836,  p.  22.  Of  its  origin  I  know  nothing.  Reichenbach  has 
given  a  representation  of  it  in  his  '  Vollstiindige  Naturgeschichtc.'  It  must  have  been  a 
fully  grown  bird  in  completely  coloured  plumage." 

22.  Dublin,  Ireland.— [B&&  Newton,  "  Natural  History  Review,"  October  18C5.  This 
specimen  is  especially  interesting  from  its  plumage.  Edmund  do  Selys-Longchamps  says 
("  Comptes-rendus  des  S&inces  de  la  Soci6t6  Entomologique  do  Belgique,"  1876,  7th  Oct., 
p.  Ixx.)  that  of  all  the  many  specimens  examined  by  him  in  the  dilferent  museums  of 
Europe  this  is  the  only  one  in  winter  plumage.] 

23.  Durham,  England. — This  specimen  is  in  the  University  Museum.  It  is  an  old 
bird.  It  was  first  mentioned  by  Champlcy  in  the  "  Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  His- 
tory," 1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  235.  This  specimen  was  formerly  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Gis- 
borne,  who  got  it  from  one  Reid  of  Doncaster,  who  had  got  it  from  F.  Schultz  of  Dresden 
(presumably  the  same  as  F.  Schulz  of  Leipzig). 

23a.  Flendmrij,  Germany. — [Prof.  A.  Newton  had  stated,  on  "  indubitable  authority," 
that  there  were  at  Flenslmrg,  in  the  possession  of  Meclilenburg,  an  apothecary,  8  skins  and 
3  eggs.  In  order  to  obtain  certain  information  about  some  of  these,  Blasius  put  himself  in 
conmiunication  with  Herr  \V.  Toosbtiy,  the  head  burgomaster  of  Flenslmrg,  whose  reply 
showed  that  Flensburg  in  all  probaliility  is  no  longer  to  be  credited  with  any  specimen 
whatever  of  the  Alca  impfnnis.  After  consulting  with  Herr  Bentzen,  the  grandson  of  the 
deceased  Herr  Jleclilenburg  and  his  succe.s.sor  in  the  bu.sine.ss,  he  wrote  thus  on  the  3()th 
Noveinljcr  1883: — "There  have  certainly  been  some  specimens  of  the  Alca  impennis  in 
the  collection  of  the  late  Herr  Mochlenburg ;  though  wliether  ho  was  possessed  of  eight  is 
very  doubtful.     Already  in  his  lifetime  he  had  disposed  of  the  most  of  these  8i)eciinen3, 


'  In  Mr.  Hardy's  catalogue,  1841,  this  specimen  is  nut  mcntionod  as  being  in  his  collection.  Henco 
it  must  have  been  bought  subsequently.  I'lofessor  Newton  saw  the  skin  and  egg  at  Hardy's  liousu  in 
1809.     Hardy  died  3l8t  October  1863.— W.  Ulasiiis. 

'  There  are  siwcimens  in  winter  plumage  at  Cojwnhagen  and  Prague.— S.  Grieve. 


APPENDIX. 


It 


anil  we  find  among  his  memoranda  that '  a  skin  of  the  Aka  impennit,  but  without  the  feet 
and  breast-plumage,  was  sold  for  1000  marks  Schleswig-IIolatein  currency  (=  £60)  to 
Siemsen,  a  merchant  in  Reykjavik,'  Iceland,  and  that  '  Mr.  Robert  Champley  bought  an 
Aka  impeitnis,  with  an  egg,  for  £120.' ^  What  became  of  the  other  skin  that  remained 
after  Ilerr  Mechlenburg's  death  the  heirs  do  not  know.  No  part  of  Mechlenburg's  eflects 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  town  of  Flensburg ;  at  the  time  of  his  death  no  scientific 
man  appears  to  have  troubled  himself  about  the  collection,  and  after  the  lapse  of  such  a 
long  time  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  acquire  further  information." 

Accordingly,  for  the  time  at  least,  the  name  of  Flensburg  must  be  deleted  from  our 
list.  One  specimen  of  Aka  impennis  is  mentioned  in  the  catalogue  of  birds  and  reptiles 
which  were  exposed  for  sale  in  the  year  1861,  after  the  death  of  Herr  Mechlenbmg. 
Blasius  supposes  that  this  is  the  specimen  now  at  Chalon  sur  Saone,  in  the  possession  of 
Dr.  de  Montcssus,  it  having  passed  through  several  persons'  hands  in  tlie  interval. 

Jiliisius  says  that  it  is  interesting  to  note  how  Herr  Carl  F.  Siemsen  of  Reykjavik, 
through  whose  hands,  at  the  time  wlien  the  Alca  impennis  still  lived  in  Iceland,  no  fewer 
than  21  birds  and  9  eggs  passed  (see  Newton,  Ildi<,  1861,  p.  392),  bought  back  at  a  later 
time  a  faulty  specimen.  Perhaps,  ho  says,  this  specimen  really  found  its  way  back  to 
Iceland,  and  if  so  is  now  the  only  specimen  there.  Further  information  as  to  whether  it 
is  really  in  Reykjavik  is  very  much  to  be  desired. ^J 


24.  Floors  Catstk,  Roxburgh,  Scotland. — [Particulars  of  this  bird  and  conjecture  as 
to  its  origin  received  from  Mr.  Symington  Grieve,  "  who  has  made  careful  studies  of  the 
history  of  the  Great  Auk,  and  intends  soon  to  make  them  public." — Also  Professor 
A.  Newton  is  able  to  confinn,  through  information  acquired  by  him,  the  fact  that  the 
specimen  has  been  in  Floors  Castle  upwards  of  forty  years ;  he,  however,  put  forwanl  the 
conjecture  that  the  skin  was  not  obtained  in  Iceland,  but  was  bought  from  a  London 
dealer.  The  present  Duke  of  Roxburghe  believes  that  it  was  bought  in  Edinburgh 
between  1830  and  1840.'] 


25.  Flnrpncp,  Italy. — [In  the  "  Musco  Zoologico  del  R.  Istituto  di  Studi  superiori." 
First  mentioned  by  Champley  ("  Ann.  and  JIag.  Nat.  Hist.,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  23.5).  Selys- 
Longchamps  suys  that  it  is  in  summer  plumage.  Nowtou  (Ibin,  1869,  p.  393)  traces  it 
up  through  Dr.  Micliahelles  and  Frank  to  Mechlenburg  of  Flensburg.  Professor  Giglioli 
informed  IMasius  that  it  was  bought  for  the  Florence  Museum  probably  between  1830  and 
1833,  certainly  not  later  than  1833.  It  bears  on  its  stand  only  the  'd  inscription, 
"  Schulz  Schaufuss."]     See  also  p.  80. 

'  Mr.  Chiiiniilcy  informs  mii  that  the  sum  he  pftid  for  the  skin  anil  egg  was  £45,  not  £120. — S.  Grieve. 

'■*  In  a  letter  to  me,  dated  l.lth  April  18St,  Professor  Newton  says  that  apparently  this  skin  now 
exists  in  the  Central-Park  Museum,  New  York. — \V.  liliwius.  Professor  Steonstrup,  writing  us,  16th 
March  18S.'),  rej;ariliiif,'  the  whole  of  tho  last  parayraph  luider  Flensburg,  remarks,  "  I  think  there  is  an 
error  here  in  some  wny." — .S.  (irieve. 

'  This  specimen  has  been  described  in  n  paper  read  before  tho  Royal  Physical  Society,  Edinburgh,  by 
Mr.  .Tolin  (iibson,  ISth  April  1883.  (" Prooeedinga  Royal  Physical  Society,  Kdinburgh,"  1833,  p.  335.)  — 
S.  Grieve. 


1     1 


iii 


I       a 


;i  i 


a 


la 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


26.  Frankfurt-on-the-Main,  Prussia. — Alexander  von  Homeyer  was  the  first  to  call 
public  attention  to  what  he  called  a  very  fine  specimen  of  the  Alca  impennis  in  the 
Senckenbergian  Museum  here.  ("Journal  fiir  Omithologie,"  1862,  p.  461.)  Herr  Dr. 
August  Miiller,  of  the  Zoological  Institute,  "  Linncea,"  in  Frankfurt,  informs  me  that  the 
custodier  of  the  Museum  says  that  nothing  is  known  as  to  whence,  when,  and  from  what 
hands  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Museum,  and  that  the  sex  of  the  bird  and  its 
condition  when  caught  are  likewise  unknown.  "  It  is,"  he  says,  "  a  completely  coloured 
but  not  very  well  preserved  specimen,  and  is  ticketed  only  '  Northern  Europe.'  The 
Museum  has  no  eggs  or  bones." 

27.  Gotha,  Germany. — A  communication  by  Br.  Ilellmann,  the  former  director  of 
the  Ducal  Museum  here,  to  the  "Journal  fiir  Omithologie"  for  18C0  (p.  206),  calls  attention 
to  a  very  fine  specimen  under  his  charge,  wliich  was  bought  in  IBS')  from  Frank,  dealer 
in  zoological  wares,  Leipzig.  I  myself  saw  it  there  in  1882.  It  wears  breeding  plumage. 
Professor  Burbach  tells  me  that  it  was  bought  for  20  thalers,  and  that  the  source  whence 
it  was  acquired  is  strangely  given  as  Eamann.' 

28.  Graz,  Austria. — Professor  A.  Newton,  in  the  /ftw  for  1870,  p.  257,  was  the  first 
to  call  attention  to  this  one,  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  Natural  History  Museum  of  the 
Joanneum.  In  answer  to  a  request  of  mine  for  information  regarding  it,  Dr.  Sigmnnd 
Aichhorn,  the  superintendent  of  the  Museum,  thus  wrote  to  mo  (24th  November  1883) : — 
"  Our  specimen  is  stuffed,  and  is  in  summer  plumage.  It  is  tolerably  well  preserved,  and 
was  sent  in  1834  by  Professor  Koinhartlt  of  Copenhagen  to  Herr  Josef  Hiipfner,  a  landed 
proprietor  at  Althofon  in  Carinthia,  who  in  turn  made  a  present  of  it  to  the  Joanneum. 
I  cannot  tell  whether  it  is  a  male  or  a  female  bird." 

Before  I  got  this  information  from  Dr.  Aichhorn,  Professor  A.  Newton  liad  informed 
me  tliat  he  had  found  in  his  manuscript  notes  the  remark  that  in  1833  a  specimen  was 
sent  from  the  Roj-al  Zoological  Museum  in  Copenhagen  to  lliii)fner  in  Klagenfurt.  I 
conjectured  that  this  presumed  specimen  at  Klagenfurt  was  identical  with  the  Graz 
specimen,  and  my  conjecture  was  in  a  measure  confirmed  by  a  letter  from  Ilerr  J.  L. 
Canaval,  director  of  the  Natural  HisUiry  Museum  at  Klagenfurt.  lie  says  (6th  Dec. 
1883) — "The  Museum  here  has  no  Alca  impennin.  In  1833  the  Museum  did  not  exist, 
having  been  founded  towards  the  end  of  1847;  Count  Egger,  however,  had  a  collection 
which  he  gave  up  to  form  the  nucleus  of  the  Museum.  Herr  Ilopfner  at  that  time  gavo 
the  Museum  several  very  interesting  contributions.  I  could,  however,  learn  nothing  of  an 
Aka  impeuniii." 

Were  there,  then,  two  Iliipfners,  one  in  C.raz,  the  oilier  in  Klagenfurt,  both  of  wliom 
received  (ireat  Auks  from  Copenhagen  1  A  letter  from  Professor  Aug.  von.  .Mojsisovics  of 
(Jraz  (9th  December  1883)  decides  this.    lie  says :  "  There  was  in  our  province  (Carinthia) 

'  It  has  in  the  meanwhile  become  doubtful  whether  this  »iH'cinicn  roally  came  fnim  Frank's  lianda. 
There  still  lives  in  (iotha  the  person  who  sold  the  bird  through  the  agency  of  one  Herr  Uamann,  and  he 
has  informed  i'rofessor  Burbach  that  he  got  the  ckin,  along  with  other  objiets  of  natural  history,  from 
Greenland,  they  having  been  procured  by  a  missionary  who  liad  been  there.— W.  Ulasius.. 


. 


;  i!' 


APPENDIX. 


all 
ho 
)r. 

ilO 

at 

;t8 
id 

10 


13 


only  one  ornithologist  of  tho  name  of  Hdpfner,  who  gifted  his  very  rich  coUection  of  skins 
^  the  Joanneum  of  th.s  town.  A.Tiong  this  was  tho  one  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk,-the 
pnde  of  the  zoological  collection." 

The  Icelandic  origin  of  the  Graz  specimen  is  thus  clear.  1 

29.  Hanover,  Germany.— CnhaniB  ("Journal  fiir  Ornit'.iologie,"  1862  p  78)  was  the 
first  to  mention  this  one  in  tho  Provincial  Museum  of  Hanover.  It  is  in  summer  plumage. 
The  custodier  of  the  Museum,  Herr  Braunstein,  tells  me  that  it  has  been  cut  up  through 
the  belly  and  not  under  one  of  the  wings.  He  also  states  that  it  was  formerly  (some  time 
previous  to  1850)  m  Clausthal,  in  the  Harz.  As,  according  to  information  given  me  by 
Irofessor  Newton  a  specimen  was  a  long  time  ago  sold  by  Frank,  the  dealer  in  zoological 
wa  OS,  to  Clausthal  Museum,  with  which  the  specimen  in  Hanover  is  clearly  identical  the 
Icelandic  origin  of  this  sjiecimen  is  very  probable. 

30  HawMone,Sfiropshire,  Unffland. -Thoro  is  here  one  in  the  collection  of  Viscount 
Hill  According  to  Newton,  it  was  bought  in  1838  from  Gould.  Champley  is  the  first  to 
mention  it  ("  Ann.  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  235). 

SI.  Kiel,  Grrmamj.-\n  the  Zoological  Museum  of  tho  University.  (See  "Third 
Yearly  Report  of  tho  Brunswick  Association  for  Natural  History,"  p.  94)  It  was  verv 
probably  bought  in  1844  by  Professor  Behn,  along  with  other  articles  of  Ltural  1  story 
for  Kiel  Museum,  by  means  of  a  large  sun.  of  money,  which  in  that  year  the  "Prelates 
and  Proprietors  '  of  Schleswig-Holstein  voted  out  of  a  common  fund  Jor  tho  purposes  of 
the  Museum  once  thought  that  this  might  be  the  Great  Auk  seen  and  caught  in  Kie 
harbour  during  tho  last  decade  of  last  century ;   but  this  can  hardly  be.     I  would  rathe 

3r  b  °  "  ":  °^^^^"■•''-^-^S  °f  ^■'--^'■••g'^  oight,  and  indeed  that  one  it  e 
pre  ent  abode  has  not  yet  been  cleared  up.  Or  it  may  have  been  acquired  from  Salmin  a 
dealer  in  zoological  wares  in  Hamburg,  who  in  1844  sent  Groat  Aks  to  Bremen  ai'id 
Ol.lenburg,  and  who  had  at  that  time  received  some  skins  direct  from  Iceland,  and  also 
was  in  possession  at  ono  time  of  one  formerly  belonging  to  Dr.  Michahelles.^ 

32.  Kothrn     aermm,j.-\n    the   Ducal,    formerly    Naumann's,    Collection.      First 
1  entioned  by  Preyor  (".Journal  fur  Ornithologie,"  1802,  p.  78).     Dr.  E.  Baldanius  write 
to  mo  that  it  came  from  Copenhagen.' 


'  In  September  1884  I  was  myself  able  to  examine  this  specimen.     It  bears  the  «Mmn,PrnI„™„ 
«.th  two  very  distinet  s,„,ts  on  the  breast.     The  furrows  on'the  bill  a"    '  ="       T     T"  S":'^ 
apparently  by  means  ef  sewin,  in  the  n.iddle  of  the  bo,ly.     There  are  traeerof'i.oth.eatin,''r      "e 
white  eye.spot  an.l  on  the  right  side,  on  the  win;,-  and  un.ler  jaw  -W    Ulasius 

»  Professor  Steenstrup  writes  us  15th  Mareh  1885  :_"If  reallv  purch.ased  in  1844,  it  might  perhan. 
be  the  second  of  these  two  Garefowls  got  in  ,844,  but  traditionally  I  never  heard  that  ISneS 

-w!  ilEs'"""  ^''""""'"''  """  ''■■""^"""'  '"""'"  ""^  ''''""■"^'^  »•"=  «-*  '»  ■"^"tion  this  specimen. 


iii:>l 


ii     1 


14 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


33  and  34,  Kopenhagen  (Copenhagen),  Denmark. — [There  are  in  the  Royal  University 
Zoological  Museum  of  Copenhagen,  besides  the  preserved  intestines  of  two  Great  Auks,  an  egg 
and  numerous  bones,  two  stuffed  specimens, — one  of  Icelandic  origin,  in  summer  plumage ; 
the  other,  by  many  supposed  to  have  come  from  Greenland,  in  winter  plumage.  That  this 
latter,  however,  came  from  Greenland,  is  a  supposition  that  hangs  on  a  very  slender  chain 
of  evidence.  The  late  Professor  Keinhardt  of  Copenhagen,  writing  to  Professor  Newton, 
holds  that  it  has  never  been  proved  that  this  bird  in  the  winter  plumage  originally  came 
from  Greenland.! 

But  at  the  same  time  the  existence  of  the  Great  Auk  on  the  coasts  of  Greenland  is  a 
historical  fact.  One  caught  in  1815,  near  Eiskcrnaes,  was  afterwards  in  the  possession  of 
a  Herr  Heilmann;  and  one  caught  at  Disco,  in  1821,  was  in  1824  in  the  possession  of  Herr 
Benicken,  of  Schleswig,  who  writes  in  March  of  that  year  to  the  Isia  (p.  886  f.)  regarding 
it.  Ho  describes  it  as  a  bird  in  winter  plumage,  and  it  is  this  fact  which  forms  the  chief 
ground  for  identifying  this  bird  of  Beuicken'a  with  the  one  now  at  Copenhagen.] 

35.  Leeds,  Yorhshire,  England. — Tiiis  one  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  the  Philosophical 
Society  of  Leeds,  who  got  it  on  loan  fronj  Sir  Frederick  Milner,  the  sou  of  Sir  William 
Milner,  in  whoso  collection  it  was  for  many  yeara  Sir  William  was  led  by  ^Ir.  Graham, 
a  bird-stufler  of  York,  to  believe  that  it  came  from  the  Hebrides  (sco  Newton  in  This,  1861, 
p.  398),  but  Newton,  writing  to  Blasius  a  few  days  back,  says  that  he  has  every  ground 
for  believing  that  this  specimen  was  origuially  given  by  Gardiner  to  Mr.  Buddicorn,  and 
that  it  comes  from  Eldey,  in  Iceland. 

36.  Leighfon,  Wales. — [This  one  belongs  to  the  collection  of  Mr.  Naylor,  an  intimate 
friend  of  Gould's.  It  was  lirat  brought  to  liglit  by  Newton  in  the  Ibis  (1870,  p.  258). 
Newton,  writing  to  Blasius  on  12th  December  1883,  says  that  old  Leadbeator  informed  him 
that  Naylor  bought  it  from  him  in  1801.  He  (Leadboater)  had  got  it  from  I'arzudaki  of 
Paris.] 

37.  Leipzig,  Germany. — At  the  reciuest  of  Professor  Newton,  according  to  whom  a 
specimen  was  sold  by  Frank  long  ago  to  the  Museum  of  Leipzig,  I  wrote,  making  incjuiries, 
to  Professor  R.  Lcuckart,  the  Director  of  tlio  Museum  of  the  University  there.  On  the 
23d  November  1883  I  received  from  him  the  following  interesting  information  :—"  Our 
Museum  possesses  a  line  specimen  of  tlie  Aka  impeiinis.  It  is  a  question  whether  it  is  the 
same  specimen  that  Frank  sent  to  Leipzig.     It  is  ticketed  'Iceland:    I).  Uekermann.' 

'  This  account  rested  on  a  misunderstanding,  and  has  been  retracted  a  short  while  ago  by  Professor 
Newton.  Not  only  Keinhardt  believeil  that  it  came  from  (Jretnland,  but  Newton,  in  his  article  on  tlie 
Birds  of  Greenland  in  the  "  Arctic  Munu.il,"  has  e.\prt's»ly  recognised  the  fact. — W.  Blasius. 

I'rofessor  iSteenstrup,  in  a  letter  dated  Itith  March  ISSu,  refers  to  the  specimen  in  winter  plumage 
preserved  at  Copenhagen  as  follows  : — "Our  individual  in  winter  dress  I  have  no  doubt  is  identical  with 
licnickeu's,  and  with  Ueihnann's  got  in  1S15,  and  is  the  same  as  the  individual  seen  by  Faber  in  Co])en- 
hagen  Ijefore  his  voyage  t(j  Iceland,  because  it  was  the  only  known  Aka  iinpmnh  from  (Jrcenland. 
Keinhanlt,  senior  (the  father),  bought  this  not  very  good  specimen  at  a  price  three  times  higher  than  tho 
price  paid  fur  the  excellent  specimens  from  Iceland  uffervd  to  the  museum  in  the  same  years." — 15.  Uriovo. 


i      .11' 


APPENDIX. 


15 


Uckermann  is  the  name  of  a  man  who  haa  presented  numerous  interesting  objects  to  our 
Museum.  Besides,  I  find  it  already  inserted,  in  the  catalogue  of  date  24th  February  1841, 
among  the  animals  which  Poppig  tlien  arranged  as  the  nucleus  of  our  collection.  I  have 
not  come  upon  any  further  information  regarding  it." 

Naumann,  in  his  "  Naturgeschichte  der  Vogel  Deutscldands,"  vol.  xii.  p.  646  (1844), 
mentions  that  twenty-five  years  previously  a  skin,  bought  for  a  handsome  price,  had  come 
to  Leipzig  from  Iceland  by  way  of  England.  Probably  that  skin  is  identical  with  the 
specimen  now  in  the  Museum  of  Leipzig,  though  by  it  may  only  be  meant  some  skin 
bought  by  old  Frank  of  Leipzig,  the  dealer  in  zoological  wares, —father  of  the  Amsterdam 
Frank,  and  grandfather  of  the  London  Frank. 

38.  Leyden,  Holland.  —This  specimen  in  the  Zoological  Museum  here  was  first  made 
known  to  the  world,  so  far  us  I  am  aware,  by  Sclator  in  the  "  Annals  and  Magazine  of 
Natural  History,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  320,  on  the  information  of  Herr  Hartlaub.  I  think  I 
remember  hearing  Herr  Frank  of  London  say  that  his  father,  Herr  Frank  of  Amsterdam, 
sold  it  to  the  Leyden  Museum,  to  which,  indeed,  he  furnished  many  other  articles  of 
natural  history.  Schlegel,  in  the  "  Musdum  des  Pays  Bas  "  (Urinatores,  p.  13,  April  1867), 
thus  describes  it:— "Adult:  wing,  5"  11'";  tail,  2"  11  ";  bill  length,  from  the  front! 
36'";  height,  18"';  breadth,  8i"';  tarsus,  21'";  middle  toe,  33"'." 

39.  Lille,  France.— Thxs  one  is  in  the  Musde  d'llistoire  Naturelle  de  la  Ville.  It 
belonged  formerly  to  C.  D.  Dcgland.  For  further  particulars  see  Olphe-Galliard  in  Ibis 
(1862,  p.  302).     Herr  G.  A.  Frank  saw  it  there  in  1883. 

40.  Lisbon,  Portugal— [\n  the  Museum  Nacional.  See  Ibis,  1868,  p.  457,  and  Ibis 
1870,  p.  450.] 

41.  Longchamps,  near  Waremme,  Belgium.— [Bee  Ibis,  1870,  p.  259,  and  p.  450.] 

42  and  43.  London,  England.— [Ihem  two  are  in  the  British  Museum.  For  the 
history  of  both  see  "Natural  History  Review  "  for  1865.]     See  also  page  78. 

44.  London,  England.— [This  one  belongs  to  Lord  Lilford,  who,  as  Newton  informs 
me  by  letter  (17th  November  1883),  got  it  after  the  death  of  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Crichton.  Public  attention  was  first  directed  to  this  specimen  by  Professor  Newton  in 
Ibis  (1870,  p.  258).  It  is  at  present  in  the  offices  of  the  British  Ornithologists'  Union, 
6  Tenterden  Street ;  but  in  all  likelihood  it  will  be  removed,  when  it  is  found  convenient,' 
to  Lord  Lilford's  seat,  Lilford  Hall,  Oundle,  Northampton.] 

45.  Lund,  Siceden.—Hn  the  Zoological  Museum  of  the  University.  First  brought 
under  public  notice  by  Professor  Newton,  on  the  authority  of  Wolley.  It  is  marked 
"  Greenland,  1835 :  from  Kcinhardt  and  Nilsson  ;  "  but  Blasius  has  the  authority  of  Professor 
Quennerstedt,  the  Director  of  the  ]\Iusoum,  for  saying  that  it  may  be  regarded  as  certain 
that  this  bird  is  of  Icelandic  origin,  since  it  was  presented,  in  1835,  by  Herr  Kcinhardt, 


I  t 


I  f; 


ill'  i 


.M) 


:i'l 


i:   ii 


(•r! 


'iIh;-; 


1 

■:1, 


ii 


i! 


■  I 


i 


I' 


i 


t6 


r/ZE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Counsellor  of  State,  Copenhagen,  through  the  agency  of  Professor  Nilsson,  who  lately  died 
at  Lund  at  the  advanced  ago  of  ninety-six.] 

46.  Mihin,  Italy. — [This  one  is  in  the  very  rich  private  collection  of  Count  Ercolo 
Turati,  who  died  a  few  years  ago.     Regarding  this  specimen,  see  Ibis,  1870,  pp.  450,  609.'] 

47.  Mainz,  Germanij. — [In  the  Town  Zoological  Museum  hero  tliero  is  now  only  one 
of  tlie  two  exampli's  which  llerr  Frank,  of  Amsterdam,  the  dealer  in  zoological  wares,  sent 
to  Mainz.  The  other  found  its  way  latterly,  after  some  changes  of  hands,  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  late  !Mr.  Rocke,  of  Clungunford.] 

48.  Mdz,  Gi'rmantj. — [In  the  Town  Museum.  This  i.s  the  specimen  whicli  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Malherbc  Collection.  Alfred  Malherbe,  judge  of  the  civil  tribunal  in 
Motz,  80  well  known  as  an  ornithologist,  got  it  in  1842  through  the  agency  of  Herr 
Reinhardt,  Counsellor  of  State,  from  the  Royal  Zoological  Museum  of  Copenhagen.*] 

49  and  50.  Munich,  Geniutnij. — Those  an-,  and  havo  been  for  ujjwards  of  twenty 
years,  in  tlie  Zoological  Museum  of  the  Royal  liavarian  Acadomy  of  Sciences.  They  were 
Hrst  publicly  mentioned  by  I'reyer  in  the  "Journal  fUr  Ornithologie,"  1862,  p.  78  and  p. 
119.  One  of  them,  namely,  that  one  which  was  formerly  in  the  collection  of  tho  Duke  of 
Leuchteuberg  at  Eiclistiidt,  has  up  to  this  time  been  considered  as  originating  from  Greenland, 
and  might  as  such  reasonably  excite  interest,  if  wj  take  into  coiisidcRitiou  tho  very  small 
number  of  known  Greenland  s])ociniens.  But  from  information  whi'ih  I  have  derived 
from  Dr.  I'auly  of  M\inicli,  both  specimens  are  clearly  of  Icelandic  origin.  It  appears  that 
both  tho  specimen  formerly  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Leuchteuberg  and  the  other  Munich 
specimen  were  originally  bouglit  by  Michahelles  from  one  and  the  same  individual  in  Co- 
penhagen (according  to  Steenstrup,  Professor  Reinhardt).  Tho  negotiations  were  conducted 
through  Dr.  Kuhn,  who  was  then  (1833)  hving  in  Nuremberg.  Tho  one  bird  cost  200 
florins,  the  other  50.  Dr.  Pauly  gives  tho  following  additional  information  regarding 
these  two  bii-ds  :  "One  bird  (the  Leuchtenl)erg  one)  bears  the  ticket  '  Alca  Impennis,  Ice- 
land, H.  v.  L.' ;  the  other  is  marked  '  Alca  Impennis,  L.,  Polar  Sea,  1836.'  Tho  one  bird  is 
stuffed  standing,  tho  other  sitting  with  the  legs  and  tail  lying  straight  up.  15oth  wear  tho 
summer  plumage,  as  Naumann  has  depicted  it  ('  Natiirgeschichto  dor  Viigel  Europas,' 
plate  337,  tig.  1),  only  the  colour  on  the  back  is  not  black  but  brown  ;  and,  moreover,  in  tho 
standing  specimen,  brown  of  a  pronounced  but  dull  hue,  in  the  sitting  ono  of  an  indistinct 
liut  glistening  hue.  Both  birds  are  dressed  on  the  belly-sowing  system,  and  are  in  good 
j)reservalion.  The  sitting  bird  i.s,  in  spite  of  its  posture,  about  four  centimetres  higher  than 
the  standing  one.  Both  are,  according  to  Naumann,  old  birds,  for  both  have  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  beak  7  ridges,  on  the  lower  10-11." 

[Blasius  conjectures  that  the  sitting  bird  is  a  cock,  tho  standing  ono  a  hen.] 


'  Ni)w  in  the  Public  Museum,  Milan.     Sec  page  8|. — S.  (Jrieve. 

-  rr<ifi««(>r  Htueustrnp,  in  H  letter  dated  Itith  Mttich  1S85,  favoum  uh  with  tho  following  iufurma- 
tiuii : — "The  specimen  Bout  to  Malhorbe  came  from  Iceland  in  ISIil." — S.  Urieve. 


APPENDIX. 


17 


51.  A^aen,  near  Arendal,  Norway. — [Prof.  Newton,  in  Ibw,  1870,  p.  248,  calls  attention 
to  this  fine  specimen,  which  is  in  the  private  collection  of  Herr  Nicolai  Aal,  proprietor  of 
the  iron  works  at  TweJestrand.     According  to  Robert  Collett  it  is  of  Icelandic  origin.*] 

52.  Neuchatel,  Switzerland. — The  beautiful  full-grown  specimen  in  the  Musee  d'Histoiro 
Naturelle  of  this  town  was  first  brought,  so  far  as  I  know,  under  the  public  notice  by  L6on 
Olphe-Galliai-d  in  the  Uns  of  1862,  p.  302.  By  means  of  the  accurate  particulars  given  by 
Louis  Coulon,  the  director  and  custodier  of  this  museum,  Victor  Fatio  ("  Bull.  SocOrn.  Suisse," 
tome  ii.,  pnrtie  1,  1868,  p.  74)  was  able  to  state  for  certain  that  it  was  bought  at  Mannheim 
in  1832,  from  a  dealer  in  zoological  wares,  named  Ileinrich  Vogt,  for  the  sum  of  200  francs. 
This  Vogt  very  probably  got  it  from  the  Koyal  Zoological  !Museum  of  Copenhagen,  as  is 
conjectured  by  Prof.  Newton  ("  Bull.  Soc.  Ornith.  Suisse,"  torao  ii.,  partie  2,  1870,  p.  157), 
on  the  ground  of  the  fact  learned  by  him  from  Prof.  Rcinhardt,  that  in  1833  the  Museum  in 
question  sold  a  skin  to  Vogt,  a  dealer  in  zoological  wares  in  Mannheim.  There  is  a  slight 
discrepancy  in  tiic  dates.  Either  there  is  a  misstatement  of  the  figures  in  one  of  the  two 
accounts,  or  we  may  perhaps  assume  that  Vogt  about  that  time  got  several  skins  from 
Copenhagen. 

53.  Newcastle-on-Tijne,  Eiii/latiil. — In  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  is  preserved  the 
only  known  specimen  of  a  young  ( Jroat  Auk.-  It  was  first  mentioned  with  the  epithet  young 
by  G.  T.  Fox  in  his  Catalogue  of  the  Newcastle  Museum.  Jlistakiiig  the  accounts  given  by 
Dresser  in  his  "  Birds  of  Europe,"  vol.  viii.  p.  566,  I  formerly  conjectured  wrongly  that 
this  was  the  same  bird  as  that  which  Pastor  Otto  Fabricius,  during  his  five  years'  stay  in 
the  district  of  FreJerikshaab  in  Greenland,  was  able  to  observe  and  to  kill  in  the  month 
of  August.  As  Fabricius  mentions  this  fact  ("Fauna  Groenlandica,"  1780,  p.  82)  so  soon 
after  his  thoroughgoing  proof  that  the  Great  Auk  cannot  breed  near  Greenland,  Steenstrup, 
in  mentioning  this  matter  ("  Videnskabelige  Meddolelser  "  for  1855,  Copenhagen,  1856-7, 
p.  33),  puts  forward  with  good  grounds  the  ccjujecture  that  it  was  no  downy  young  bird  of 
the  Great  Auk  that  Fabricius  observed  and  stufhid,  but  only  a  young  specimen  of  some  of  the 
other  large  swimming  birds.  The  principal  grounds  adopted  by  Steenstnip  for  this  opinion 
were  (1)  that  the  Great  Auk  used  to  breed  so  early  that  the  young  ones,  fitted  for  swimming 
and  diving,  betook  tliemselves  to  the  sea  as  early  as  the  middle  of  June,  and  certainly  not 
first  in  August ;  (2)  that  even  if  au  egg  were  stolen,  no  second  egg  was  ever  laid  in  the 


'  In  a  U'ttor  to  me,  dnted  7th  Aiisust  1884,  Profeasor  Willi.  I'reyer,  Jeno,  says — "This  place  (which 
lies  6  German,  i.e.  27  Eiiglixli,  milts  from  Arendal)  should  be  spelt  Aeea.  The  proprietor's  name  should 
be  spelt  AdII."  A  complete  account  of  this  specimen  has  been  recently  given  by  Robert  Collett  in  his 
work  "liber  Alca  impennis  in  Norwcgen"  (Mittlieilungen  des  Ornithologischen  Veroins  in  Wien,  1884, 
No.  fi-fi).  According  to  him,  the  specimen  was  got  from  the  museum  of  Copenhagen,  in  exchange  for  a 
bear-skin,  some  time  between  1840  and  1850.     It  bears  summer  phunage. — W.  Ulasins. 

Professor  .Steenstrup  informs  us,  lOth  March  1885,  that  "  Reinhardt  sent  the  specimen  to  Aall  in 
1845."— S.  (irii^ve. 

'  In  the  liohemiim  National  Museum  at  Prague  there  is  a  stuffed  skin  of  a  Great  Avik  supposed  to 
belong  to  a  young  bird.  However,  it  apiwars  to  have  belonged  to  au  older  bird  than  that  preserved  at 
Nowcastle-ou-Tyne.    See  pages  73  and  78. — S.  Grieve. 

X 


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THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


same  year;  and  (3)  that  the  iiisiJe  of  the  young  binl  killed  by  Fabricius  contained  ex- 
clusively vegetal)lo  food,  which  was  strange  to  the  Groat  Auk. 

But  let  us  oven  put  out  of  sight  these  doubts  of  Stecnstrup's — doubts  that  are  besides 
shared  by  ,T.  T.  Reiuhardt  (Ihis,  18G1,  p.  15);  still  I  hold  it  impossible  to  maintain  the 
identity  of  the  presumed  specimen  of  Fabricius  with  that  now  in  the  Newcastle  Museum,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  the  latter  represents  a  Inter  stage  of  development.  Fabricius  repre- 
sents his  specimen  as  a  few  days  old,  and  covered  only  with  a  grey  coat  of  down ;  whereas 
the  Newcastle  Museum  Great  Auk,  according  to  all  the  accounts  that  have  been  given  of  it, 
possesses  already  an  eye-mark  spotted  blnck  and  wliite,  as  well  us  two  or  three  furrows  on 
ita  bill — botli  of  which  signs  point  to  a  longer  life.  Another  fact  that  leads  to  the  con- 
clusion that  this  Newcastle  bird  was  not  so  very  young,  is  the  fact  that  Mr.  John  Hancock 
was  able  to  take  the  bones  out  of  the  body  with  a  view  to  their  preservation  separately. 
I'efore  tliat  could  be  done,  the  process  of  ossification  must  have  advanced  considerably.^ 

Professor  A.  Newton,  who  was  formerly  inclined  to  trace  back  this  specimen  to 
Fabricius,  though  not  indeed  to  tlie  identical  bird  mentioned  above  as  having  been  killed 
by  Fabricius,  wrote  to  me  on  the  25th  November  1883,  acknowledging  tlie  possibility  of 
a  ditrorent  origin,  and  stating  that  if  it  can  no  longer  bo  held  to  have  proceeded  from 
Greenland  and  Fabricius,  then  its  original  home  must  probably  have  been  Newfoundland, 
witli  which  also  Tunstall,  the  original  possessor  of  the  bird,  as  indicated  by  the  title  of 
Fo.x's  catalogue,  had  connections. 

54.  Netccasfle-on-Tiine,  EnglamJ.  [This  one,  along  with  the  corresponding  egg.  is  at 
present  in  the  private  collection  of  Mr.  John  Hancock  ;  but  Professor  Newton  informs 
Blasius  that  Jfr.  Hancock  is  about  to  transfer,  or  has  transferred,  his  private  collection  to  the 
museum  of  the  town,  which  will  tlius  now  bo  in  possession  of  two  skins.^  This  skin  and 
egg  were  bought  by  Hancock  through  tlie  agency  of  Mr.  John  Sewell,  of  Newcastle,  from 
Mechlenburg,  of  Flensburg.  ^lechlcnburg,  in  a  letter  written  to  Hancock  at  that  time 
(April  1844),  said  that  that  skin  and  egg,  along  with  another  skin  and  egg,  had  been 
got  by  him  one  or  two  years  before  from  an  island  off  Iceland  (he  said  off  the  north-east 
coa.st  of  Iceland  ;  but  that  is  manifestly  erroneous).  Now  though  the  investigations  made 
by  Preyer  in  Iceland  differ  as  to  their  results  from  those  of  Wolley  and  Newton  in  many 
particulars,  yet  they  agree  with  thorn  in  this,  that  the  few  specimens  of  the  Great  Auk 
obtained  at  the  beginning  of  the  decade  1840-50  did  not  find  their  way  into  the  hands 
of  Mechlenburg,  and  that  during  the  second  half  of  the  decade  1830-40  no  Great  Auks 
were  obtained  at  all.  It  is,  therefore,  clear  tliat  those  two  specimens  of  ^Mechlenburg  (one 
of  them  afterwards  Hancock's  and  the  other  Champloy's)  must  have  been  obtained  at  an 
earlier  time ;  and  probably  it  is  to  these  two  birds  that  1  )i'.  Nils  Kjiirbiilling  refers  (thougli 
he  is  somewhat  wrong  as  to  the  date)  when  he  says  ("  Ornithologia  Danica,  Uanmarks' 


I 


'  On  the  Ifith  March  1885,  Professor  SteenRtrup  writes  us: — "The  very  wild  speculations  on  the 
young  bird  of  Fabricius,  I  am  very  sorry  to  see  promuli^ated  again  and  again.  This  young  bird  of 
Fabricius  has  really  nothing  to  do  with  Alca  impennis." —H.  (irieve. 

'  These  remains  of  Alca  imptnnii  are  now  in  the  Newcastleon-Tyne  Museum — S.  Grieve, 


m 


APPENDIX. 


19 


Fugle,"  1856,  p.  415): — "Tlie  apothecary  Mcclilenburg,  of  Flensburg,  possesses  a  pair  of 
birds  whicli  were  killed  in  1829  on  the  Giirofowl  Rocks,  where  thoy  courageously  defended 
their  eggs." '  Presumably  these  two  specimens  date  from  tlio  beginning  of  the  decade 
1830-40,  and  consequently  cannot  have  come  from  the  Geirfuglasker  (which  sank  in  March 
1830),  hut  must  rather  have  como  from  Eldey,  from  which  originates,  acconling  to  Newton 
{Ibis,  1861,  J).  390),  a  bird  caught  in  1834  during  the  presence  in  Iceland  of  the  Crown 
Prince  of  Denmark. 

For  more  about  tliis  specimen  see  Xewton,  "  Proc.  Zool.  Soc,"  1863,  p.  438;  "Ann. 
and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist."  1864,  vol  xiv.  p.  138;  Ibis,  1865,  p.  336,  and  1870,  p.  260.] 

55.  New  York,  America. — [Tho  skin  mentioned  by  Robert  Champloy  ("Ann.  and 
^^ag.  Nat.  Hist."  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  235),  as  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Troughton,  was,  after 
his  death,  bought  1)y  D.  (J.  Elliot,  througli  tho  agency  of  Cooko,  dealer  in  natural  history 
wares,  for  tho  Central  Park  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York.']    (See  Frontispiece.) 

56.  Noricic/i,  £H;//a?((/.— [Professor  Newton  writes  to  IJlasius  (17th  November  1883), 
tliat  the  specimen  formerly  belonging  to  Mr.  Lombo  has,  since  his  death,  been  presented  by 
his  daughter  to  the  Norwich  ^luseum.] 


■■%■ 


57.  Ohlenhurij,  frVn/faw//.— Cabauis  ("  .Tournal  fiir  Ornithologie,"  1862,  p,  78)  was 
the  fu'st  to  mention  this  specimen,  which  is  pre.servcd,  along  with  au  egg,  in  the  Grand- 
ducal  JIuseum  of  Natural  History.  In  a  conversation  which  I  had  with  the  present 
director  of  that  JIu.seum — llerr  C.  V.  Wiepken — he  told  mo  that  it  was  bought,  about 
1840  or  '41  (the  date  coul<l  be  accurately  fi.xud  by  an  o.\amination  of  the  accounts  of  Grand- 
ducal  Court-treasury),  from  .Salmin,  dealer  in  natural  history  waves  in  Hamburg.  It  is  a 
fine  old  bird  in  summer  plumage.  I'erhaps  tliis  is  one  of  the  three  skins  which,  according 
to  tho  investigations  of  AVoUey  and  Newton,  were  got  in  Iceland  in  1840  or  '41,  and  were 
presumably  sold,  all  or  in  part,  by  the  factor,  C.  Thaae,  to  Salmin.  It  would  thus  belong  to 
tlie  second  last  lind,  whilst  the  two  last  birds  came  in  spirits  to  Copenhagen  in  1844.  The 
other  two  skins  of  that  sccind  last  liiul  are  now  probably  in  lUvmen  and  in  Kiel,  or  Aarau. 

Herr  AViepkeu  was  so  kind  as  to  furnish  me  with  the  measurements  of  this  specimen, 
as  far  as  that  could  be  done  in  tho  case  of  a  stuU'ed  bird.  These  measurements  are  as 
follows,  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  in  tho  ca.=;e  of  the  bill,  it  is  measured  as  far  as  the  horny 
covering  goes  ; — Total  length,  up  to  the  bill,  720  centimetres ;  tail,  7'6  centimetres  ;  wing, 
from  the  bend  to  the  tip,  16'4  centimetres;  cleft  of  mouth,  9'8  centimetres;  ridges (?), 
measured  straight,  about  8'0  centimetres  ;  me-a-sured  along  the  bend,  about  9'1  centimetres  ; 
leg,  about  5'3  centimetres;  outer  toe,  with  nail,  7  6  centimetres  ;  middle  toe,  with  nail, 
8'0  centimetres;  inner  toe,  with  nail,  60  centimetres. 


'  Writing  U3  (in  lOth  jrarch  1885,  I'roffsscir  Stetiiatnip  9fty3  : — "  ])r.  Kjiiibiilling  is  not  exact  enough 
in  liis  dilfiTent  d.itii  CDnceniiiig  the  Aha  hitpinnU,  even  qiiito  uncritical." — S.  Grieve. 

'"'  l'r(ifu."i8or  Nowtiin,  writinj^  to  nie  on  l.ith  April  1SS4,  sftys  thnt  1).  11.  Klliot,  according  to  his  o\vn 
nccoi.nt,  l«mi,'ht  the  sjieciniuu  witliout  tho  feet,  formerly  in  Slechlenburg'a  possession,  for  the  Central 
Park  Museum  in  New  York.  Acconlingly,  there  must  now  be  two  specimens  in  that  museum,  though 
this  point  reciuires  still  to  be  cleared  up. — W.  Blasius. 


•f^ 


■•'"I 


i 


30 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


68.  Osherttm,  NoUimjhmmhire,  Emjlaml. — [This  ono  forms  jmrt  of  the  collection  of 
Mr  Foljnnibo.  Attention  wns  first  directed  to  it  by  Professor  Newton  {Ibiif,  1870,  p.  258). 
Professor  Newton,  writing  to  IJhisius  (25th  November  1883),  says  that  it  can  bo  proved 
that  this  specimen  was  bought  in  Liverpool  in  the  year  1813,  and  tiiat  henco  it  can  bo 
conjectured  that  it  is  identical  witli  that  one  skin  which  was  sent  to  England,  to  one  of 
liis  friends,  in  1813,  by  Vidalin,  ISishop  of  Reykjavik.  If  this  conjecture  is  correct,  this 
sjiecimen  would  conio  from  the  last  shui^jhter  which  took  place  on  the  skerries  off  Reykjanes 
before  Faber  visited  these  places  in  his  famous  voyage  m  Juno  1821.] 

59.  Paris,  France. — In  the  Musdum  d'llistoiro  Naturclle  there  is  to  bo  found,  besides 
an  egg  and  a  tine  skeleton,  a  fine  ."ipecimen  mentioncnl  by  I'rcyer  ('"  Journal  fiir  Ornithologio," 
1862,  p.  77).  Professor  Newton  writes  to  me  (25th  November  1883)  that,  considering 
that  formerly  a  largo  number  of  eggs  found  their  way  to  Franco  from  Mi()uelon  and  St 
Pierre,  the  French  possessions  in  North  America,  one  might  bo  inclined  to  select  New- 
foundland as  the  original  home  of  the  Paris  specimen  ;  but  there  is  on  tho  pedestal  tho 
express  words,  "  Coasts  of  Scotland, "  and  cimsequently — without,  of  course,  attaching  faith 
to  that  description — one  must  in  tho  meantime  regard  tho  place  of  its  origin  as  doubtful. 
According  to  Preycr  ("Journal  fiir  Ornithologie,"  18G2,  ]).  119)  this  specimen  has  on  tho 
point  of  the  beak  ^  cross-furrows.  Can  this  Paris  specimen  be  identical  with  that  whicli 
Prisson  ("  Ornithologie,"  vol.  vi.  ]).  85, 1,  plate  7)  has  described  o\it  of  Reaumur's  Collection  1 
Cuvier  states,  as  Professor  Newton  has  pointed  out  to  me,  tliat  Rdainimr's  Collection  was 
afterwanls  incorporated  in  the  "Cabinet  du  Roi,"  and  that  again  tho  most,  if  not  all,  of 
the  articles  remaining  over  from  tho  "Cabinet  du  Rni,"  went  to  tho  founding  or  enlarge- 
ment of  tho  Museum  d'llistoire  Naturclle  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes.  Newton,  however, 
judging  from  its  excellent  state  of  i)reservation,  holds  such  a  great  antiquity  impossible, 
and  believes  rather  in  a  later  origin  from  Iceland.' 


!  i 


60.  Pisa,  Itfi/i/.— [In  the  Museo  Zoologico  ilel  Universitii.     Has  breeding  plumage. 
See  Newton  and  Selys-Longchamps  in  Ihis  for  1870,  p.  258  and  p.  450.] 


ili)> 


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i^ 


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61.  Philadelphia,  Ameriivi. — Prof.  Newton,  who  saw  it  himself,  was  the  first  to  call 
public  attention  to  thin  specimen,  which  is  in  the  Pliiludelphia  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences.  Its  European  origin  npjiears  certain.  For  in  the  great  work,  "  Itirds  of  North 
America,"  by  Spencer  F.  Paird,  .lohn  Cassin  and  (leor','(!  N.  Lawrence,  Cnssin  of  Philadel- 
phia, who  wrote  the  section  "  Alridn;"  says  : — "We  have  never  seen  a  specimen  of  American 
origin,"  and  adds  that  the  only  two  known  siiccimens  in  American  museums  were  that  of 
Audubon  (which  clearly  he  had  never  seen),  and  tho  one  that  had  evidently  been  in  his 
own  keeping  in  the  collection  of  the  Philadelphia  Aiadciiiy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

There  are  also,  in  tho  same  collection,  for  wiiicli  they  were  procured  through  tho 
agency  of  Dr.  Wilson,  tiio  two  eggs  belonging  formerly  to  Des  Murs,  or  at  least  ono  of 
them. 

'  During  tlic  spring  of  1884  Profcsaor  Wh.  Blasius  heard  of  unuthcr  »kln  existing  in  Paris ;  see 
p.  7U.— S.  Uritve. 


APPENDIX. 


62.  PoltaUoch,  Aiyi/Miire,  Seollaml. — Prof.  A.  Nowtoii  informed  Prof.  Blasius  lately 
tliat  a  skin  oxistod  in  tho  collection  of  Mr.  John  JIalcolm  at  the  above  address,  and  also 
an  egf(.  Both  tho  egg  and  skin  wore  bought  from  forty  to  fifty  years  ago  from  Lcadbeater 
in  London. — S.  Grieve.     See  p.  94;  also  App.,  Egg  54,  p.  32. 


63.  Powilikfepnie,  New  Yorl;  Anwrim, — [In  Vassar  College. 
specimen  see  Prof.  Newton,  in  [liin,  1801,  p.  336.] 


For  the  origin  of  this 


64,  65.  Prague,  Austria. — [In  the  Bohemian  National  Museum  are  preserved  two  speci- 
mens, both  of  which,  as  tho  tlirector  of  tho  Museum,  Prof.  Kritsch,  writes  to  Blasius  (25th 
Nov.  1883),  are  represented  in  his  work,  "Viigel  Europa's"  (Birds  of  Europe),  table  59, 
figures  8  and  9.  Tho  fir.-<t  is  entered  in  1854  catalogue  of  the  Museum,  as  "Gift  of  tho 
King  of  Denmark  to  liaron  Keldegg. — Polar  Sea."  In  all  likelihood  it  comes  from  Iceland, 
and  it  is  probably  identical  with  tlie  bird  killed  on  I'^Idey  in  1834  that  came  directly  into 
tho  possession  of  tho  Crown  Prince  of  Denmark  (afterwards  king),  who  was  then  staying 
in  Iceland  (see  A.  Newton,  in  Ihis,  1861,  p.  390) — though  indeed  in  that  article  it  is  stated 
that  that  skin  came  into  the  possession  of  !Mechlenburg  of  Flensburg — and  indeed  tho 
King  of  Denmark  could  have  had  luany  other  opportiinities  of  presenting  a  specimen  to 
Baron  Fi'ldegg,  nauudy,  from  those  tliat  were  sent  to  Professor  Keinhardt  and  the  Copen- 
hagen Museum.     This  specimen  is  an  old  bird,  and  is  in  sjiring  plumage.' 

The  sec^ond  specimen  is  said  by  Prof.  Fritsch  to  bo  a  young  bird  in  early  autumn 
plumage,  although  ho  admits  that  this  is  doubtful.  lie  has  represented  it  in  a  plate  in  his 
"  Viigel  Europa's"  as  having  a  white  throat  and  perfectly  dark  cheeks,  but  no  white  eye- 
spots,  unlike  the  young  bird  in  winter  ])luniage,  whose  picture  is  given  by  Dresser  and 
Naumann.  In  1863  (when  Fritsch  first  called  public  attention  to  it),  and  for  some  time  pre- 
viously, this  biitl  belonged  to  the  well-known  Woboril  Collection.  Afterwards  it  passed, 
with  tho  whole  Woboril  Collection,  into  the  hands  of  Anton  Richtor,  a  sugar-refiner  in 
Prague,  and  at  a  still  later  date  it  was  acquired  for  the  Bohemian  National  Museum.] 

66.  St.  Pefi'rshurg. — [This  one  is  in  the  Zoological  Museum  of  tho  Imperial  Academy 
of  Sciences.  It  was  first  mentioned,  though  only  incidentally,  by  C.  F.  Brandt,  in  the 
"  Hulletin  scientifi(iue  public  par  I'Acadtimie  des  .Sciences  de  St.  Petersburg,"  tomo  ii.,  1837, 
p.  345.  This  C.  F.  Brandt,  during  a  journey  to  (iermany  in  1836,  made  numerous  pur- 
chiises  of  birds  from  a  dealer  of  the  same  name  in  Hamburg  (see  the  same  work,  tome  i., 
183fi,  p.  176),  who  just  at  that  time  had  got  several  specimens  of  the  Alca  im/miiiix  from 
Iceland.     Perhaps,  then,  this  St.  Petersburg  sjiccimen  was  bought  on  that  occasion.-] 

67.  Searhoromih,  England. —  [This  one  belongs  to  Mr.  Robert  Champley.  Regarding 
this  one  Professor  Newton  wrote  to  lUasius  a  short  while  ago  ; — "Mr.  Champloy  has  only  a 

'  According  to  a  letter  from  I'roffssor  W.  Preyer,  of  Jena,  dated  Htli  August  18S4,  it  has  ,'j- 
furrows  on  the  bill. — W.  Illattiu8. 

'  In  May  1884  I  niysilf  examined  the  specimen  in  St.  Petersburg.  It  har  .he  summer  plumage,  with 
two  large  KpotM  on  the  bre.int.  On  the  bill  it  hiis  " , ',  '  furrows.  In  confirnuitiun  of  my  conjecture,  I 
found  it  marked  "  Uraudt... inland." — \V.  IUa.siu9. 


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single  skin  of  the  Alca  impennis.  It  wns  bought,  along  with  an  ogg,  direct  from  Mechlen- 
burg  (as  I  think,  in  1860).  I  have  good  reasons  for  believing  that  both  skin  and  egg  came 
originally  from  Iceland."] 

68.  Stockholm,  Sweden.  — [The  Zoological  Section  of  the  National  Museum  of  Natural 
History  contains  a  specimen,  to  which,  so  far  as  I  (Blasius)  am  aware,  public  attention  was 
first  called  by  Professor  Newton,  who  saw  it  there  himself.  Blasius  was  formerly  in  doubt 
as  to  whether  this  specimen  had  been  procured  from  Iceland,  by  way  of  Copenhagen,  between 
1830  and  1840,  or  was  the  one  which  in  1817  existed  in  the  collection  of  Gustav  von 
Paykull,  Counsellor  of  the  Swedish  Chancery ;  but  a  few  days  ago,  Professor  Newton 
informed  him  by  letter  that  it  is  not  the  Paykull  specimen,  regarding  the  fate  of  which  ho 
could,  when  in  Sweden  m  1867,  Icaru  nothing,  either  in  Stockholm  or  in  Upsala,  and  re- 
garding which  Sundevall  himself  was  quite  uninformed.] 

69.  Strasshurg,  Germany. — [This  noteworthy  specimen  is  in  the  Town  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  which  is  housed  in  the  spacious  halls  of  the  Academy.  It  is  first  men- 
tioned, so  far  as  Blasius  knows,  by  W.  Preyer  in  the  "Journal  fiir  Ornithologie,"  18G2,  p  ."8. 
He  says  of  it  there : — "A  very  damaged  specimen,  with  an  artificial  white  (!)  upper  jaw. 
It  is  the  worst  example  I  know."  This  specimen  was  almost  miraculously  saved  during 
the  bombardment  of  1870  (see  Ibis  for  1870,  p.  518).  The  present  director  of  the  Museum, 
Dr.  Ddderlein,  sent  Blasius  at  his  request  the  following  interesting  information  about  it  (1st 
December  1883)  : — "The  specimen  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  bears  on  it  no  data 
relative  to  its  origin,  mode  of  acquisition,  &c.  Neither  can  any  information  bo  got  out  of 
the  catalogues,  which  for  tho  most  part  are  quite  incomplete  and  unreliable.  Perhaps 
there  are,  hidden  among  the  archives  of  the  Museum,  sonio  facts  that  may  at  some  future 
time  cast  light  upon  its  history.  Our  specimen  is  in  a  truly  pitiable  condition.  Its  head, 
wings,  and  posteriors  reveal  suspiciously  bare  places ;  on  the  lower  jaw  the  whole  horn- 
sheath  of  the  bill  is  wanting ;  tho  rest  of  it  is  tolerable ;  the  upper  jaw  is  genuine ;  tho 
feet  are  very  well  preserved.  In  its  markings  it  corresponds  completely  with  tho  description 
given  of  the  summer-birds.  The  upper  bill  reveals  seven  furrows  of  nearly  the  same  depth. 
Length  (from  posteriors  to  crown),  61  centimetres  ;  length  of  head,  16  do. ;  from  eye  to  end 
of  bill,  12  do.  ;  ridge  of  the  bill  (measured  straight),  8'5  do. ;  hand  portion  of  the  wing 
(to  the  tip),  165  do. ;  tarsus,  about  5'5  do. ;  outer  toe,  8  do. ;  middle  toe,  81  do. ;  inner  toe, 
6 '5  do.    The  height  of  the  bird  is  57  centimetres.    Wa  have  no  eggs  nor  parts  of  skeletons." 

Before  Blasius  received  the  above  information  from  Dr.  DiJderlein,  Professor  Newton 
wrote  to  him  on  tho  2r)th  November  1883  : — "Tho  specimen  of  Strasshurg  has  probably 
behind  it  the  liistory  of  an  existence  of  like  length  to  that  of  tho  Newcastlo-on-Tyno  speci- 
men. It  was  given  by  P.  S.  Pallas  to  I'rofessor  Dr.  John  Hermann,  who  then  worked  iu 
Strasshurg.  It  is,  as  early  as  1776,  entered  in  a  catalogue,  and  that  under  tho  denomination 
'  Northern  Seas  '  (Mors  du  Nord).  According  to  the  French  geograpliical  nomenclature  of 
that  time  this  may  signify  Newfoundland.  Thus  tho  Strasshurg  specimen  is  perhaps  to  bo 
regarded,  along  with  tho  Nowcastle-on-Tyne  8])ociiiien,  as  tho  only  known  .specimens  of 
American  origin." 

The  preservation  in  tho  best  possible  state  of  a  specimon  like  this — so  interesting  in  all 


^ 


APPENDIX. 


23 


probability  from  a  historical  point  of  view— is  much  to  be  desired.  Edmond  de  Selys- 
Longchamps  mentioned  in  1876  tliat  whilst  it  was  in  bad  condition,  that  condition  could, 
in  his  opinion,  be  improved  without  diminishing  the  scientific  value  of  the  specimen  ;  for 
the  essential  parts  were  not  imperfect,  but  only  a  small  portion  of  the  small  feathers,  black 
and  white,  wore  wanting,  and  these  could  easily  be  supplied  from  the  feathers  of  an'  allied 
speciea  ("  Comptes-rendus  des  seances  de  la  Soci6t6  eutomologique  de  Belcique  "  1 876 
7th  Oct.,  p.  Ixvii.)] 

70.  Stuttgart,  Germany.— This  specimen  is  in  the  Royal  Cabinet  of  Natural  History. 
Newton,  in  Ibis  of  1870,  p.  258,  mentions  it,  on  the  authority  of  a  letter  from  Dr.  Krauss^ 
dated  7th  November  1867.     E.  de  Selys-Longchamps  mentions  in  1876  ("Comptes-rendus 
des  siSances  de  la  Socidte  entomologiqne  de  Belgique,"  1876,  7th  Oct.,  p.  Ixx.)  the  fine  state  of 
preservation  in  which  this  specimen  is,  and  states  expressly  that  it  is  in  breeding  plumage. 
In  a  kind  letter  of  the  24th  November  1883,  Dr.  Krauss  informs  me  that  "the  Stutt- 
gart specimen  came  from  the  collection  of  Baron   John  Wilhelm  von   Muller,  Kocher- 
steinsfeld,  Wurttemberg  {oh.  1864  ;  well  known  as  a  scientific  traveller,  and  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  German  Ornithological  Society),  and  that  it  was  purchased  in  May  1867 
along  with  a  number  of  other  stuffed  birds.     Dr.  Krauss  goes  on  to  put  forward  the  con- 
jecture, and  to  adduce  reasons  for  it,  that  this  Great  Auk  was  a  gift  from  the  Zoological 
Museum  of  Copenhagen,  in  return  for  the  many  vali'able  objects  brought  back  fronfthe 
Baron's  North  African  and  other  travels,  and  presented  by  him,  amongst  other  museums,  to 
that  of  Copenhagen.     He  goes  on  to  sa}',  "  According  to  Naumann,  our  bird  is  in  breeding 
plumage.     Its  sex  was  not  noted.     At  any  rate,  it  is  an  old  bird.     Except  the  white  spots 
in  front  of  the  eyes  (the  left  spot,  however,  does  not  quite  reach  the  eye),  the  head  has  no 
trace  of  any  whitish  or  brightish  markings,  and  it  is  like  the  upper  side,  black  with  a 
brownish  tinge.     The  under  side  is  (with  of  course  the  exception  of  the  throat)  perfectly 
white,  only  somewhat  greyish  under  the  wings.     The  bird  is  (measured  from  the  back  end 
of  the  bill  along  the  back  to  the  tip  of  the  tail)  76  centimetres  long,  some  8  of  which  are 
taken  up  by  the  tail.  Tlie  other  measurements  are— rictus  (in  straight  line),  9'8  centimetres  ; 
culnien  (in  straight  line),  77  centimetres;  do.  (measured  along  the  bend),  8-4  do.;  the 
wings  full,  16  do.  ;  tarsus,  about  6  5  do. ;  outer  too  with  nail,  about  8  do.  ;  middle  do.',  8-3 
do. ;  inner  do.,  6.3  do.     The  front  side  of  the  upper  beak  has  8-9  furrows,  of  the  lower 
beak,  11-12.     We  have  no  bones  or  eggs  of  the  Great  Auk." ' 

In  a  later  communication  (12th  Dec.  1883),  Dr.  Krauss  says  :  "Our  AIca  impennis  is 
certainly  a  fine  specimen  ;  but  it  is  badly  stuffed.  Consequently  I  have  resolved  to  have  it 
re-stuffed.  In  the  course  of  opening  it  up  it  has  become  evident  that  the  skin  was  cut  up 
under  the  right  wing,  and  was  otherwise  badly  treated.  It  seems  to  have  been  re-stuffed 
already ;  still  the  skin  has  kept  its  condition  well." 


On  16th  ilarch  1885  Professor  Steenstrup  wrote  us  as  follows :— "The  conjecture  is  quite  right 
As  directors  of  the  then  Roynl  Natural  History  JT„seun.,  Professor  Forehhamn.er  and  I  mveelf  presented 
Baron  Muller  with  this  very  magnificent  specimen,  the  last  of  our  duplicate  skins  from  Iceland,  in  order 
to  intrmUice  an  eNchange  of  African  an.l  Arctic  birds  ;  but  we  got  nothing  of  the  great  harvest  of  African 
birds  collected  by  the  well-known  traveller.     This  was  in  1849  or  1850."— S.  Grieve. 


m 


24 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


mi 

' 

|v 

[Blasius  thinks  ho  is  justified  in  confirming  Dr.  Krauss's  coi^jecture  that  this  bird 
originally  came  from  Iceland.] 

71.  Turi7i,  Itahj. — This  one  is  in  the  great  Museo  Zoologico  del  University.  So  far  as 
I  am  aware,  it  was  first  brought  under  public  notice  by  Robert  Champley  ("  Ann.  and  Mag. 
of  Natural  History,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  235).  Edmond  de  Selys-Longchamps  says  {Ihu, 
1870,  p.  449)  that  it  is  very  well  preserved,  and  represents  an  ordinary  breeding 
plumage. 

72.  Venena  Reale,  Italy. — [Regarding  this  specimen  see  Ihis,  1870,  p.  450,  258;  do. 
1862,  p.  303;  do.  1869,  p.  373.] 

73.  Vitrij  le  Francois,  France. — [A  fine  specimen  exists  here,  first  brought  under  public 
notice  by  Victor  Fatio,  who  was  informed  about  it  by  its  owner,  Count  de  Riocour  ("  Bulletin 
Soc.  Ornith.  Suisse,"  tome  ii.,  partie  2,  1870,  p.  148).] 

74.  Washinijton,  U.  S.  Ammca. — [In  the  Smithsonian  Institute.  See  Newton,  in 
Ibis  for  1870,  p.  259.'] 

75.  Vienna,  Austria. — This  one  is  in  the  Imperial-Royal  Zoological  Court  Cabinet. 
So  far  as  I  am  aware,  it  was  first  publicly  mentioned  by  Wilhelm  Piissler  in  the  "  Journal 
fiir  Ornithologie,"  1860,  p.  60.  In  1877  A.  von  Pelzeln  showed,  in  the  "  Mittheilungen 
des  Ornithologischcn  Voreins  in  Wion  "  for  that  year  (p.  4),  that  this  specimen  came  origin- 
ally from  Iceland,  and  was  bought  from  Frank  in  1831.  A  letter  from  Professor  Newton 
informs  me,  in  addition,  that  Frank  got  this  specimen  in  1831  from  the  apothecary  Mech- 
Icnburg  in  Flensburg. 

76  and  77.  Yorh;  Ewjlaiul. — [The  Yorkshire  Pliilosophical  Society  of  this  city  possesses 
two  specimens,  regarding  which  bcc  the  reports  of  the  Council  of  the  said  Society  for  1853, 
page  9,  and  for  1866,  page  9.] 


I. 


LIST  OF  EGGS  OF  THE  ALCA  IMPENNIS. 

1.  Amsterdam,  Ilollaml. — [In  the  Museum  of  the  Zoological  Society,  "Natura  Artis 
Magistra."  See  Robert  Champley,  in  the  "Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History," 
I864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  236.     Probably  of  Icelandic  origin.''] 

'  Herr  Schliiter,  dealer  in  zwlogical  wares,  Halle,  told  me  in  September  1884  that  Oiitz  got  this 
specimen  (which  has  been  cut  up  under  the  right  wing)  from  Salniin  of  Haiuburg,  and  that  Solmin  got  it 
from  Iceland  about  1840. — W.  Blasius. 

°  According  to  a  later  account  given  by  G.  A,  Frank  of  Iiondon,  tbia  egg  cornea  f.rom  the  quondku 
Temminck  coUectiun  in  the  Uijka-Museum  of  Leyden. — W.  Blasius, 


\ 


APPENDIX. 


as 


2.  Angers,  France. — [In  the  Museum  de  la  Villa.  This  is  one  of  four  eggs  which 
were  seen  in  Brest  in  1859,  joined  on  a  string.  Probably  brought  by  seamen  from 
Newfoundland.] 

3,  4,  5.  Angers,  France. — [In  the  possession  of  Count  de  Barrack.  Robert  Champloy 
mentioned  two  of  them  in  1864  (I.e.),  whilst  Newton  was  able  at  a  later  time  to  testify 
to  the  existence  of  a  third  which  he  had  seen  there  (Ibis,  1870,  p.  261).  These  have 
originally  come  from  Iceland,  by  way  of  St.  Malo,  some  time  before  1837.] 

6,  7.  Bergues-les-Dunkei-qm,  France. — These  two  formerly  belonged  to  M.  De- 
meezemaker,  and  are  now  since  his  death  most  probably  in  the  possession  of  his  soa  They 
were  first  mentioned  and  described  by  Olphe-Galliard  (Ibis,  1862,  p.  302),  and  afterwarda 
discussed  and  given  in  pictorial  representations  by  Ch.  F,  Dubois  (Al.iionse  Dubois : 
"Archives  Cosmologiques,"  No.  2,  18G7,  p.  33-35,  plate  3).  One  of  them  is  larger  than 
the  other  (it  is  126'82  millimetres  according  to  the  figure,  125'80  according  to  Olphe- 
Galliard),  and  has  on  a  reddish-yellow  ground  a  great  number  of  broad,  irregular  dark- 
brosvnish  black  bauds,  curves  and  streaks,  distributed  in  pretty  equal  proportion  over  the 
whole  surface.  The  smaller  one  (117'77  millimetres  according  to  the  figure,  115'80  accord- 
ing to  Olphe-Galliurd)  has,  on  a  bright-grey  and  somewhat  greenish  ground,  only  a  few  small 
dark  spots  and  (chiefly  at  the  broad  end)  isolated  dark  irregular  streaks,  which  unite  them- ' 
Reives,  for  example,  in  one  place  into  a  striking  irregular  star  with  five  rays  (literally, 
arms). 

8.  Brcdau,  Germany. — Belongs  to  Count  Rudern.  According  to  R.  Champley,'who 
received  the  infoniiatKn  from  the  deceased  Herr  Hiihnel,  the  barber,  this  egg  was  re- 
presented in  Tliiencmanu's  plates.  ("  Fortpflanzungsgeschichto  der  gesammten  Vogel," 
Leipzig,  1845-1856.)  It  is  the  upper  figure  on  plate  IVC.  [i.e.  96)  of  the  series,  drawn  in  1854 
or  earlier,  published  in  1856.'  This  egg  formerly  belonged  to  the  collection  of  the  barber 
Iluhnel,  in  Leipzig,  and  was  bought  from  him  some  time  before  his  death,  probably  about  1870, 
by  Count  Riidern.  W.  Piissler  mentions  this  egg  as  to  be  found  in  Hlihuel's  collection,  and 
gives  a  very  short  description  of  it  ("Journal  fiir  Ornithologie,"  1860,  p.  59).  Hiihnel  is  said  to 
have  got  200  thalers  ( =  £30)  for  it,  whereas  he  had  bought  it,  about  1835,  from  Fr.  Schulz, 
dealer  in  zoological  wares  at  Leipzig,  for  7  thalers  (  =  £1,  Is.).  I  am  indebted  for  this 
information  to  Herr  G.  H.  Kunz,  manufacturer  in  Leipzig  (of  the  firm  C.  F.  Kunz),  who 

'  In  a  letter  to  me  dated  10th  February  1885,  referring  to  the  above,  R.  Champley,  Esq.,  says — 
"  Here  it  is  stated  that  I  received  information  from  HUlmel  that  the  Breslau  egg  wcj  ngurcd  in  Thienemann's 
plate.  Thia  is  not  the  case.  The  work  contains  figures  of  three  eggs — one  my  own,  another  Hiihnel's, 
and  the  third  in  the  Dresden  Museum.  Hiihnel  never  sent  nie  a  drawing  from  the  Breslau  egg.  The 
drawing  was  sent  me  by  Mochlcnburg  of  Flensburg.  I  copied  the  drawing,  and  have  it  now,  and  returned 
him  the  one  he  had  lent  me  to  copy.  The  egg  is  not  figured,  to  my  knowledge,  and  Is  a  very  different  egg 
to  those  figured  by  Thienemann,  besides  being  a  larger  one."  On  the  same  day  the  same  correspondent 
again  writes  : — "  Since  I  wrote  you  this  morning  I  have  looked  at  the  note  appended  to  the  Breslau  egg, 
and  find  I  am  correct  in  my  statement.  1801  nas  the  year  Mechlenburg  sent  the  drawing.  He  states  he 
got  it  (the  cjii)  direct  from  Iceland,  and  sold  it  to  Breslau.  From  ics  size  and  markings,  it  is  not  only  tha 
largest  but  the  finest  marked  egg  in  existence  as  regards  Uotchti,  not  streaks." — S.  Grieve. 

V 


■  *    1 

'1, . 

■  •      1 

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1 

j  IS 

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i;. 

'1 

is 

,' 

If' 

i 

1 

t 
\ ' 

1 

26 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


WToto  me,  a  short  while  ago,  that  about  1836-39  a  rich  senator  died  in  Hamburg,  and  left  a 
collection  of  stuffed  German  birds,  which  Schulz,  the  dealer  in  zoological  wares  at  Leipzig, 
bought  up,  presumably  at  a  very  low  price,  and  retailed  again.  Along  with  each  bird  there 
was  an  egg.  Among  them  was  the  Alca  impennis,  with  its  corresponding  egg.  This  egg 
fell  to  Hiihnol,  who,  according  to  a  letter  of  that  time,  now  in  my  possession,  from  Frank, 
the  old  dealer  in  zoological  wares  in  Leipzig,  must  have  been  a  very  enthusiastic  collector 
of  eggs.  The  conjecture  that  the  previous  history  of  this  egg  can  bo  traced  back  to  Brandt 
of  Hamburg,  and  from  him  to  Iceland,  seems  quite  justified.  According  to  a  report  that 
has  reached  me,  HUhnel  is  said  to  have  possessed,  in  the  year  1849,  no  fewer  than  three 
eggs  of  the  Alca  impennis.  In  that  cose  it  would  be  doubtful  if  it  was  the  Hamburg  egg 
that  is  now  in  Breslau.  But  according  to  the  evidence  of  Herr  Kunz,  who  saw  HUhnel 
every  day  in  the  office  of  barber  at  his  father's  house,  and  never  knew  of  more  than  one 
egg  of  the  Alca  impennis  in  liis  collection,  the  report  about  the  three  eggs  appears  to  be 
erroneous.     See  also  pp.  103,  108. 

9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14.  Brighton,  Ewjland. — [The  deceased  George  Dawson  Rowley 
possessed  at  his  death  six  eggs  of  the  Alca  impennis.  As  to  the  first  two  of  these,  see 
Newton  in  Ibis  (1870,  p.  2G1).  The  third  belonged  formerly  to  Mr.  Labrey,*  a  shipping 
agent  in  Manchester,  who  got  it  from  the  deceased  Mr.  Wilmot.  The  fourth  belonged 
formerly  to  Lady  Cust.     The  fifth  and  sixth  belonged  formerly  to  Lord  Garvagh.] 

15,  16,  17.  Camhriilge,  England. — The  brothers  A.  and  E.  Newton  have  possessed 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  three  eggs  of  the  Alca  imitennis,  regarding  which  the 
first-named  gentleman  has  recently  given  me  the  following  information.  The  first  came, 
as  did  also  the  second,  from  WoUey'a  Collection.  Wolley  bought  it  in  1846  from  Mr. 
Beavan.  Beavan  Ijonght  it  from  Gould,  who  in  turn  had  bought  it  from  Brandt  of 
Hamburg  in  1835.  It  is  evidently  this  egg  regarding  which  Newton  has  conjectured,  and 
clearly  in  the  right,  that  it  can  be  traced  back  to  the  booty  taken  at  Eldey  in  1 834.  The 
second  was  got  by  Wolley,  in  exchange  from  Wilmot,  in  1856.  Before  that  time  it  had 
gone  through  several  private  collections.  It  can  be  traced  back  to  the  years  1837  or  1838, 
when  it  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Augustus  ^Mason.  Beyond  that  time  nothing  is  known  about 
it.  The  thirtl  was  bought  by  A.  Newton  in  1860  from  Mr.  Calvert,  who  said  that  he  got  it 
from  the  Museum  of  the  United  Service  Institution,  which  was  then  broken  up.  Farther 
investigations  as  to  its  origin  have  remained  unsuccessful.  Some  conjecture  that  this  is 
the  egg  possessed  by  !Mr.  Salmon  up  to  1860.  In  that  case  it  would  presumably  be  one 
of  the  two  eggs  which  Mr.  Proctor  got  in  Durham  in  1832,  and  afterwards  sold  to  Mr. 
Salmon  for  £2  a-piece.' 


18.  Clungunfonl,  Shropshire,  England. — Mrs.   Rockc,  who  presumably  is  also  still 
the  owner  of  the  skin  belonging  to  her  late  husband,  possesses  an  egg,  bought  by  Mr. 

'  In  a  letter  dated  from  Burslem,  4th  April  1859,  and  addressed  to  R.  Champley,  Esq.,  Mr.  Labrey 
says  : — "  I  have  an  egg  of  the  Great  Auk,  which  is  not  by  any  means  a  good  specimen." — S.  Grieve. 
'  This  must  be  a  mistake.    See  Mr.  Proctor's  letter,  page  22  of  this  work.— S.  Grieve. 


.     !         ■ 

! 

.A 

i 

APPENDIX. 


n 


Rocke  in  1869  from  Mr.  E.  Burgh,  in  wliose  family  it  had  been  for  upwards  of  seventy 
yeara.     From  its  ago  it  is  probable  that  it  has  como  originally  from  Newfoundland. 

19.  Croydon,  Sutreij,  England.— Mv.  Crowley  got,  along  with  the  whole  of  the  egg 
collpction  of  Mr.  Tristram,  an  egg  of  the  Alca  impennis  (R.  Champloy  in  "  Ann.  and  Mag. 
of  Nat.  Hist.,"  1804,  vol.  xiv.  p.  236).  Tristram  got  it  from  the  late  J.  de  Capel  Wise, 
who,  according  to  Professor  Newton,  bouglit  it  in  Copenhagen  from  Kjarbolling  (?).  Ac- 
cording to  one  report,  two  eggs  were,  as  late  as  1844,  sent  from  Iceland  to  Copenhagen. 
Perhaps  Mr.  Crowley's  egg  is  one  of  these  two.     Its  Icelandic  origin  is  very  probable. 

20.  Diq>pe,  France.— T\\o  ornithological  collection  of  M.  Hardy,  who  died  31st 
October  1803,  appears,  according  to  all  accounts,  to  be  now  in  the  Mus6e  de  la  Ville.  This 
collection  contains,  along  with  a  skin,  an  egg  of  the  Alca  impennw,  which  Wolley  saw  there 
in  1847  or  earlier,  Newton  in  June  1859.  Hardy  told  Newton,  on  the  latter  occasion,  that 
he  had  got  the  egg  along  with  others  from  Newfoundland;  but  as  he  had  before  given 
Wolley  his  promise  that  he  would  try  to  get  him  another  egg  from  Iceland,  Hardy's  egg 
probably  came  originally  from  Iceland. 

21.  Dresden,  Gennani/.— [This  one  is  in  the  Royal  Zoological  Museum.  It  formerly 
was  part  of  the  collection  of  Herr  Thienemann,  wlio  has  given  a  representation  of  it  in  his 
great  work,  "  Fortpflanzungsgescliichte  der  gesammten  Vogel.  One  hundred  plates  of  birds' 
eggs  in  colours.  1845-56."  It  is  to  be  found  in  plate  IVC.  (i.e.  96)  in  the  lower  figure  to 
the  left.  Piisslcr  gives  a  sliort  description  of  it  in  the  "Journal  fiir  Ornitliologie,"  1859, 
p.  59.     Its  origin  is  doubtful.] 

22.  Diimddorf,  Germany. — Tlie  largo  j)rivato  collection,  known  as  the  Museum  Ldb- 
beckeanum  of  Herr  Th.  Liibbecke,  up  to  1873  apotlieeary  in  Duisburg,  but  now  retired 
from  business,  contains  the  collection  of  eggs  inheritfd  by  him  from  his  uncle,  Friedricli 
Liibbccke,  mercliaut  in  Rotterdam,  who  died  on  tlio  29th  of  February  1856,  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  it  one  egg  of  the  Alca  impeimis.  Ilerr  Louis  Berger,  merchant 
in  Witten-am-Ruhr  ami  member  for  the  Landtag,  for  many  years  an  intimate  friend  of  the 
old  apothecary  and  zoologist,  F.  W.  J.  Biideker,  in  the  same  town,  said  in  a  letter  to  me  not 
long  ago,  that  when  lie  was  travelling  in  Holland  along  with  Biuleker  in  1848  ho  saw  this 
even  then  somewhat  faulty  egg  at  Lobbecke's  in  Rotterdam,  and  was  told  then  that  Liib- 
becko  had  got  it  from  Thienemann.  This  origin  appears  to  me  to  bo  very  probable,  as  the 
present  {)ossessor  of  the  egg  writes  to  me  that  Friedrick  Lijbbecke  was  an  intimate  friend  of 
Thienemann's,  and  si>ont  every  year  a  considerable  time  with  him  in  Dresden.  This  egg 
was  broken  through  the  awkwardness  of  a  photographer  when  tlie  present  possessor  was 
having  it  pliotographed  at  the  urgent  request  of  an  Englisli  collector  ;  but  it  was  afterwards 
so  skilfully  put  together  again  that  the  damage  can  hardly  bo  noticed.  Tlie  possessor  has 
been  able  from  corresi)oiidenco  to  state  positively  tliat  the  egg  was  bought  by  Frederick 
Thiuncniann  from  Perrot  in  Paris  at  tlie  beginning  of  1840.  Berger,  in  a  letter  to  me, 
conjectures  that  the  picture  of  this  egg  has  been  given  by  Biideker,  and  that  conjecture 
seems  to  me  to  be  coutirnied  by  tlie  fact  that  whilst  Biideker's  upper  figure  is  taken  from 


'■■>.  i 


'i  I 


28 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


.':•( 


the  egg  that  was  formerly  Mechlenburg's,  but  now  Robert  Champley's,  a  drawing,  descrip- 
tion, and  note  of  the  size  of  tlie  Diisseldorf  egg  given  me  by  Herr  Tli.  Lbbbecke  answers 
well  to  the  lower  figure.  Herr  Lobbecko  says  :  "  Ground  colour  of  a  green  dirty  yellow 
tinge  ;  the  roundish  grayish-black  ppots  running  into  one  another  are  mostly  at  the  thick 
end;  whilst  the  middle  and  the  thin  end  have  very  few  spots.  Size,  128  millimetres  by 
76."' 

23  and  24.  Edinburgh,  Scotland.— [{Ibis,  1869,  p.  358-360  ;  also  Ibis,  1861,  p.  387).] 

25.  Ilitchin,  Hertfordshire,  England. — Belongs  to  a  Mr.  Tiike.  Is  of  Icelandic  origin. 
First  mentioned  by  Hewitson  in  his  "  Coloured  Illustrations  oi'  the  Eggs  of  British  Birds," 
1846.  Tuko  got  the  egg  from  Reid  of  Doncaster  j  Reid  got  it,,  on  the  23d  May  1841,  for 
£2,  6a.,  from  Friedrich  Schulz  of  Dresden,  who  is  presumably  tlie  same  as  Schulz  of  Leipzig. 
This  information  is  based  on  the  accounts  given  by  Reid  himself  to  Mr.  Robert  Champley 
on  the  26th  July  1860,  as  made  known  to  me  by  Champley  in  a  letter  of  this  year  (1884). 

26.  Kopenhagen  {Copenhdgen),  Denmark. — This  egg,  presumably  from  Iceland,  is  in 
the  Royal  University  Zoological  Museum.  J.  Steenstrup,  in  a  letter  to  me  this  year,  tells 
me  that  no  other  egg  except  this  one  is  known  to  exist  in  Copenhagen  either  in  museums 
or  in  private  collections,  ,, 

27.  Lausanne,  Stoitzerland. — As  Victor  Fatio  mentions  in  the  "  Bull.  Soc.  Orn.  Suisse," 
tome  ii.,  part  1,  1868,  p.  75,  two  eggs  of  the  Alca  impennis  were  found  by  Dr.  Depierre 
in  a  drawer  about  the  year  1860.  These  had  probably  been  acquired  by  the  town  of 
Lausanne  at  the  time  when  it  bought  up  the  collection  of  Professor  Daniel  Alexander 
Chavaiines.  Chavannes,  again,  probably  got  them  along  with  the  remains  of  Levaillant's 
collection.  Fatio  has  given  complete  measurements  and  descriptions  of  both  these  eggs; 
but  as  one  of  them — the  smaller  and  darker — has  been  disposed  of  to  Frank  by  way  of 
barter,  and  by  Frank  in  turn  to  Lord  Lilford,  I  shall  hero  give  only  the  more  important 
particulars  regarding  the  remaining  egg.  Its  size  is  122'5  millimetres  by  75"5  millimetres. 
The  two  axes  intersect  at  a  distance  of  44  millimetres  from  the  broad  end, — that  is  to  say, 
at  '359  of  the  larger  axis.  The  grain  of  the  egg-shell  is  less  developed  than  in  the  other 
egg,  hence  it  possesses  rather  more  lustre.  The  ground-colour  is  bright-yellowish,  strewn 
with  black  and  dark-brown  spots,  which  are  pretty  large,  considerably  apart  from  one 
another,  and  intermingled  with  some  streaks  of  the  same  colours  in  different  directions. 
The  one  side  is  less  covered  with  marks  than  the  other,  and  at  the  broad  end  are  more 
spots,  but  still  without  their  forming  a  regular  crown.  This  egg  must  in  colour  be  especi- 
ally like  the  u{)per  figure  in  Biideker ;  its  ground-colour  must  bo  like  that  of  the  upper 
figure  in  Dubois  (see  Bergues-lcs-Dunkerquc),  and  its  markings  like  those  of  the  egg  in 
Des  Murs'  first  plate.     It  probably  originates  from  Newfoundland, 

'  In  the  meanwhile  Herr  Hugo  Kliinne,  artist  in  Diisseldorf,  has  painted  this  egg  for  me  in  nil- 
colours,  and  Herr  Director  Pohlmeyer  of  Dortmund  has  prepared  plaster  casts  of  it,  which  show  with 
clearness  that  the  figure  by  Biideker  mentiooed  above  does  nut  belong  to  this  bird. — W,  Ulasius, 


m^^ 


\  t 


APPENDIX. 


H 


28.  Leyden,  Holland. — In  the  Zoological  Museum.  Newton,  writing  to  me  a  short 
time  ago,  tells  me  he  saw  it  there  in  1860.  It  probi  y  originates  from  Frank  and 
Iceland.' 

29.  Lisbon,  Portugal. — The  Museu  Nacional  (Secjao  Zoologico)  contains  an  egg  dis- 
covered a  short  while  ago  among  the  old  contents  of  the  Museum.  Ph.  L.  Sclater  called 
attention  to  it  quite  recently  {Ilns,  1884,  p.  122). 

30.  Liverpool,  England. — The  Museum  possesses  an  egg  which,  according  to  R. 
Champley,  belonged  to  the  late  Lord  Derby.  [The  thirteenth  earl, — i.e.  the  last  but 
one.]  This  egg  was  found  after  his  death,  in  1851,  by  Mr.  J.  T,  Moore.  Nothing  is 
known  as  to  its  origin,  but  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  eggs  that  exist  Mr.  J.  Hancock 
has,  as  Professor  Newton  tolls  me  in  a  recent  letter,  prepared  an  excellent  coloured  plaster 
cast. 


il 


31,  32.  London,  England. — British  Museum.  These  two  eggs  probably  come  from 
Bullock's  Collection.  At  the  sale  of  Bullock's  Collection  in  1819  two  eggs  were  included 
in  the  catalogue  (one  at  p.  31,  and  the  other  at  p.  131).  Both  were  bought  by  Leach, 
then  keeper  of  the  Zoological  portion  of  the  British  Museum,  and  these  are  presumably 
the  two  eggs  now  in  the  Museum.  One  of  them  was  actually  packed  in  the  same  box  in 
which  Bullock's  bird  from  Papa  Westra  was ;  but  that  does  not  necessarily  lead  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  egg  came  from  Papa  Vfestra.  To  judge  from  its  age,  Newfoundland  is 
probably  the  place  of  its  origin.  According  to  other  accounts,  these  two  eggs  originally 
belonged  to  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  all  of  whose  collections  became  part  of  the  British  Museum. 

33,  34,  35.  London,  England. — fin  Hunterian  Museum.  See  "Natural  History 
Review,"  October  1865,  and  Ibis,  1870,"  p.  261.] 

London  collection  of  Mr.  Edward  Bid  well.    See  under  Weston-super-Mare,  App.,  p.  34. 

36.  London,  England. — [Lord  Garvagh  possessed  three  eggs,  mentioned  by  Champley 
in  the  "Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  236.  Two  of  them 
passed  not  very  long  ago  into  the  hands  of  the  late  Mr.  Rowley.  It  is  not  known  in  whose 
possession  the  third  egg  is  now.]     See  also  eggs  13,  14,  App.,  p.  26. 

37,  38,  39,  40.  London,  England. — [Lord  Lilford  possesses  four  eggs ;  (1)  the  one 
which  his  brother-in-law  Crichton  got  out  of  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons ; 
(2  and  3)  the  ones  found  in  Edinburgh;  (4)  one  which  he  bought  in  the  autumn  of  1883 
from  G.  A.  Frank,  dealer  in  zoological  wares,  London.  Frank  at  first  wanted  upwards 
of  £140  for  it,  but  sold  it  for  a  somewhat  lower  price.  Frank  got  the  egg,  directly  or 
indirectly,  by  way  of  barter,  from  the  Museum  at  Lausanne,  as  he  himself  has  told  me.    It 


>  This  egg  belonged  to  the  old  Temminck  collection.  Along  with  another  egg  which  afterwards 
found  ito  way  to  Aniaterdain,  it  was  mentioned  and  described  in  1833  by  F.  A.  L,  Thienemann  ("Syate- 
matische  Darstellung  der  Fortpflanzung  der  Vijgel  Europas,"  &c.,  Part  v.  pp.  57,  68).— W.  Blasius. 


0    ^ 

;'f^ 

Ni 

'1,  , 
1 

30 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


13  ono  of  tho  two  eggs  noUceJ  aliovo  under  Lausanne.  Frank  said  it  was  the  darker  of 
the  two  :  it  must,  therefore,  accoi'ding  to  Futio's  account,  be  the  smaller  of  the  two.  The 
ground-colour  is  bright  yellow-brown,  adorned  with  rather  numerous  and  closely  contiguous 
spots,  arabesques,  and  little  streaks  of  black  and  blackish  tint.  Those  markings  follow  for 
the  most  part  tho  general  direction  of  tho  principal  axis,  and  running  into  one  another, 
form  a  crown  close  round  the  broad  end.  Tho  ground-colour  is  darker  than  is  raported  in 
the  case  of  any  other  egg,  and  tho  markings  put  one  in  mind  of  those  on  the  egg  in  Uea 
Murs'  second  plate.  Size,  111  millimetres,  by  72 '2.  The  two  axes  intersect  at  a  distance 
of  42 '5  millimetres  from  the  broad  end,  or  '382  of  tho  major  axis.  This  egg  came,  in  all 
probability,  originally  from  Newfoundland.]  * 


l\ :' 


ill 

1 

41.  London,  England. — Belongs  to  Mr.  G.  L.  Russell,  who  got  it  after  tho  death  of 
Mr.  Wilmot,  its  former  possessor.  Wilmot  bought  it  in  1846  from  Loadbeater.  A  picture 
of  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  third  edition  of  Hewitson's  "  Coloured  Illustrations  of  tho  Eggs 
of  British  Birds,"  plate  129. 

42.  London,  Emjland.  —Seo  Newton  in  Ibis,  18G1,  p.  387.  This  egg  of  Mr.  Scales' 
has  been  lost  sight  of  since  1866.  According  to  a  somewhat  vague  piece  of  information 
that  has  reached  me,  this  egg  is  now  to  be  found  in  Dublin.  In  that  case  it  would  be  the 
only  Great  Auk  egg  in  Ireland.     Its  original  homo  was  probably  Newfoundland.''' 

43.  Manonville,  Moiirthe  [should  be  Meurtheet-Mosdie],  France.  —  Baron  Louis 
d'llamonvilli)  purchased,  through  the  agency  of  M.  Dubois,  dealer  in  zoological  wares, 
Paris,  the  whole  collections  of  Mr.  Bond,  including  a  Great  Auk  egg.  Bond  got  this 
egg,  through  tho  ogcncy  of  Mr.  Gardiner,  at  the  sale  of  Yarrell's  collections.  Yarrell  got 
it  many  years  before  from  a  curiosity-<]ealer  in  Paris  for  only  a  few  francs.  According 
to  another  story,  which  is  traceable  to  Yarrell  himself,  he  was,  forty  years  before  that  time, 
or  in  other  words  about  the  beginning  of  this  century,  taking  a  walk  in  tho  neighbourhood 
of  Boulogne,  when  he  met  a  fish-woman  carrying  sea-mew  eggs.  His  attention  being 
attracted  thereby,  ho  followed  her  to  her  house,  where  ho  saw  hung  up  on  a  string  four 
eggs  of  the  Ci/i/nus  mu-iicim,  and  in  their  midst  an  egg  of  the  Alca  inqiennin.  He  purchased 
the  whole  lot  at  two  francs  each.  This  egg  is  given  in  the  first  edition  of  Hewitson's 
work  on  the  eggs  of  Briti.sh  birds,  plate  145.  Robert  Champlcy  has  in  his  possession  a 
hand-drawing  of  the  egg,  which  he  made  in  June  18G0  when  the  egg  was  still  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Bond. 


1    V' 

i              ■■ 
.        .              i 

.     '■     i 
i 

1 

1 

44.  Newcastle-ouTi/nc,  England. — Mr.  John  Hancock  bought  from  tho  apothecary 
Mochleuburg  of  Flensburg,  through  tho  agency  of  Sewell,  an  egg  with  the  corresponding 

1  During  the  summer  of  1884  Lord  Lilford  purchased  a  fifth  egg,  which  we  refer  to  at  pages  88  and 
110.— S.  Grieve. 

'  Writing  to  me  on  4th  December  1884,  Professor  Newton  says  tli.'vt  Mr.  Scales  died  in  .September 
1884,  at  Brighton,  at  the  advanced  age  of  90.  The  son  of  the  deceased  had  informed  Professor  Newton 
that  the  egg  was  destroyed  by  fire  some  twelve  years  ago.  Fortunately  plaster  casta  of  it  exist  in  the 
collections  of  Mr.  Hancock  and  Professor  Newton. — W,  Ulasius, 


j  ■ 

1 

i 

APPENDIX. 


St 


skin  in  April  1844  or  1945  (that  he  boiipht  it  at  nn  earlier  date  appears  to  bo  a  mistake). 
Whether  Mechlenburg  got,  as  ho  said,  the  egg  and  skin  sliortly  before  from  Iceland  maybe 
left  nn  open  question.  It  appears  to  be  certain  that  in  the  decenninm  1830-9,  probably  in 
1831,  they  were  got  on  Eldey  near  Iceland.  It  is  said  that  Hancock's  collections  have  been 
given,  or  are  to  be  given,  by  way  of  gift  to  the  Musoiun  of  the  Philoaophicnl  Society.  The 
egg  is  given  in  the  second  edition  of  Ilowit.wn's  work,  "Coloured  Illustrations  of  the  Eggs 
of  British  Birds,"  on  plate  115.  It  is  also  briefly  described  by  Pii.ssler  in  the  "  Journal  fUr 
Omithologie,"  1860,  p.  59.» 

45.  Nunapphton,  Ynrhshire,  EnglnmJ.—[^\'c  William  Milner  bought  an  egg  from  M. 
Perrot,  a  dealer  in  zoological  wares  in  Paris.  He  paid  200  francs  ( =  £8)  for  it.  This  egg 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Frederick  Jlilner.] 

46.  Ohinitahi,  Canterhunj,  Nno  Zealand.— llr.  T.  II.  Potts  formerly  owned  three 
Great  Auk  eggs,  which  he  boUbht  from  Mr.  Gardiner,  senior.  In  May  1853  he  sold  two  of 
them  at  nn  auction  in  London  to  Lord  Garvagh,  and  subsequently  took  the  remaining  one 
to  Now  Zealand.  In  1871  ho  gave  an  account  of  it  in  the  "Transactions  of  the^New 
Zealand  Institute  "  (iii.  p.  109.) 

47.  Oldenburg,  German;/.— [In  the  Grand-ducal  Museum  of  Natural  History.  See  re- 
gartling  it  the  "Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,"  1864,  vol.  xiv.  p.  320.  A  coloured  drawing 
of  it  by  Sehring,  prepared  at  the  Ornithological  Congress  in  Bnmswick  in  1855,  which, 
however,  gives  somewhat  too  small  dimensions,  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  Hildesheim.  There 
e-xist  also  coloured  plaster  casts  of  this  egg,  e.g.  in  the  Museums  of  Brunswick,  Hildesheim, 
&a,  as  well  as  in  the  private  collections  of  A.  and  E.  Newton  and  Herr  Pohlmeycr  of  Dort- 
mund, who,  famed  as  an  egg  painter,  has  himself  put  the  colours  on  his  cast.  The  measure- 
ments of  the  egg  are,  according  to  Herr  C.  F.  Wiepken,  121  millimetres  by  75.] 

48.  Oj-ford,  Enghwd.—Thcra  is  now  in  the  University  Museum  of  Natural  History 
the  egg  that  formerly  belonged  to  Sir  Walter  C.  Trevelyan,  in  whose  family  it  was  for  over 
forty  years.     He  got  it  from  Lady  AVilson  of  Charlton  House,  Blackheatli. 

49.  Pappletrick,  Notts,  Enfjland.—'MT.  Walter  has  an  egg  mentioned  as  early  as  1856 
by  Hewitson  in  his  "  Coloured  Illustrations."  Mr.  AValtcr  bought  it  about  1850  from  Dr. 
Pitman,  along  with  the  rest  of  his  collection.  Pitman,  as  Professor  Newton  tells  me  in  a 
recent  letter,  got  it  from  Herr  Brandt,  of  Hamburg.     Iceland  is  its  i)lace  of  origin. 

50, 61,  52.  Parte,  France.— In  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes 
there  are  said  to  be  now  three  eggs  of  the  Aim  imjmxnis.  One  dates  from  last  century, 
when  it  belonged  lo  the  XhU  Manosse.  It  probably  came  originally  from  Newfoundland. 
(See  Des  Murs,  "Revue  et.  Jlag.  do  Zoologie,"  1863,  p.  4.)  Tlio  other  two  were  discovered 
in  December  1873  in  the  Lycde  of  Versailles.  The  photographs  of  these  two  eggs,  in  the 
possession  of  A.  Newton,  show  that  on  each  of  them  there  is  written,  "  St.  Pierre,  Miquelon." 


The  collection  of  Mr.  John  Hancock  is  now  in  the  Museum,  Newcastleon-Tyiie.— S.  Grieve. 


>   n\ 


I  ■'    ! 


, 


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r//£  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


Consequently  it  is  certain  that  they  both  originate  from  these  formerly  French  colonies  off 
the  coast  of  Newfoundland.  [So  Ulasius ;  but  St,  Pierre  ond  Miquelon  are  still  French 
colonies.]    These  are  probably  the  only  eggs  whoso  American  origin  is  indisputable.^ 

53.  Philcuhlphia,  U.S.A. — In  1857  A.  Newton  saw,  in  the  Museum  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Academy  of  Natural  Science.s,  the  two  Great  Auk  eggs  formerly  in  the  collection  of 
M.  O.  Des  Murs,  w)iich  were  sold  to  Wilson  in  1849.  Both  eggs  were  bought  from  dealers 
in  Paris,  the  first  on  the  3d  June  1830  from  Launoy,  for  five  francs,  the  second  on  the 
10th  May  1833  from  M.  Bdvalt,  senior,  for  three  francs.  In  1863  Des  Murs  gave  a 
pictorial  representation  of  these,  accompanied  by  a  full  discussion  regarding  them,  in  the 
"  Revue  ct  Magnzin  do  Zoologie,"  They  have  both  a  ground  colour  of  reddish  yellow. 
The  first  is  covered  over  the  whole  surface  with  broad  black  dingy  brown  and  bright 
brown  streaks  and  bands,  not  very  close  together,  and  only  at  the  broad  end  gathered  some- 
what together.  The  second  is,  on  the  other  hand,  covered  likewise  over  the  whole  surface 
with  narrow  streaks  and  flourishes  of  bright  brown  and  dingy  brown,  which  at  times 
become  thick-like  drops,  cross  one  another  in  many  places,  form  in  some  places  star-shaped 
figures,  and  display  at  the  broad  end  a  distinct  crown. 

Both  in  the  work  just  quoted,  and  in  his  larger  work,  "Traitd  Gdndral  d'Oologie," 
Paris,  18G0,  p.  468,  Dos  Murs  says  distinctly  that  he  had  three  eggs  of  the  Alca  mjienms, 
and  had  sent  them  to  Philadelphia.  The  third  egg  must  have  been  somewhat  like  the  egg 
of  Count  Rbtlern  in  Breslau  and  that  in  the  Dresden  ^Museum  (these  two  arc  somewhat  like 
each  other),  which  Thienemann  has  given  on  plate  IVC,  (i.e.  96)  of  his  work  (upjior  figure 
and  left  one  below),  since  Des  Murs  could  erroneously  conjecture  that  these  two  figures  repre- 
sented that  thiiil  eg:j  of  his  from  two  difrerent  points  of  view.  It  has  not  yet  been  clearly 
proved  what  has  become  of  this  third  egg.  A.  Newton,  led  by  information  received  by  him 
orally  from  Cassin,  doubts  its  existence.  In  a  letter  to  me,  Professor  Newton  say.",  it  is 
reported  that  one  of  the  two  eggs  seen  by  him  in  Philadelphia  has  been  transferred  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington.  This  as  yet  somewhat  vague  report  ojipliea,  per- 
haps, to  Des  Murs'  third  egg.  In  that  case  the  otlier  two  will  both  bo  still  in  Philadelphia ; 
but  in  the  meantime  I  note  just  one  for  this  place. 

54.  PoltaUorh,  An/i/le,  Sc.oflaiul. — Profossor  A.  Newton  has  quite  recently  informed 
me  that  Mr.  John  Malcolm  has  in  Lis  collection  a  Great  Auk  egg,  as  well  as  a  skin  not 
mentioned  in  the  former  part  of  this  paper.  Both  egg  and  skin  were  bought,  from  forty  to 
fifty  years  ago,  from  Leadbetter  in  London,    See  skin  62,  App.,  p.  21. 

55.  Iteiijafe,  Siarci/,  England. — [Mrs.  Wise,  who  lives  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this 
town,  has  inherited  from  her  father,  Mr.  Holland,  an  egg  which  he  bought  in  1851  from 
Williams  of  London,  and  which  W'illiams  in  turn  bought  from  Lefiivrc  of  Paris.  Perhaps 
this  is  the  egg  from  which  Lefevrc  caused  plaster  casts  to  bo  prepared,  one  of  which  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  Professor  Victor  Fatio,  and  has  been  accurately  measured  and 
described  by  him  in  the  "Bulletin  Soc.  Orn.  Suisse,"  tome  ii.,  part  1,  p.  78.] 

'  Recently  Professor  Wh.  Blasius  has  obtained  information  which  leads  him  to  suppose  there  are  now 
no  eggs  uf  Aka  ivipennis  in  the  Natural  History  Museum  at  Paris.     See  p.  89. — S,  Grieve. 


|[f; 


APPENDIX. 


is 


56.  Scarborough,  Yorkshire,  Emjland. — The  Museum  of  Natural  History  here  possesses 
an  egg  bequeathed  to  it  by  the  late  Mr.  Alwin  S.  Bell.  Mr.  Bell,  in  sending  the  photo- 
graph of  the  egg  in  1872  to  Professor  A.  Newton,  informed  him  that  ho  bought  it  in  1867 
from  Gardiner,  in  London.  Gardiner  only  said  that  the  cg^-  came  from  a  collection  in 
Derbyshire,  without  being  willing  to  give  any  further  information  regarding  it.  Probably 
Mr.  Bell  had  the  egg  for  some  years  previous  to  1867,  since  Mr.  R.  Champley,  writing  to 
mo  a  short  time  ago,  informed  me  that  the  name  given  erroneously  as  Mr.  Selwyn,  in  his 
former  list  of  1864,  should  probably  be  given  as  Mr.  Alwin  Bell. 

57,  58,  59,  60,  61,  62,  63,  d-.,  65.  Scarborough,  England. — These  nine  eggs  belong  to 
Mr.  Robert  Champley,  and  were  acquired  by  him  in  1864  and  a  few  years  preceding 
that  date.  Mr.  Champley  has  himself  given  mo  the  following  information  regarding 
them  : — 

57.  Bought  from  G.  H.  Kunz  of  Leipzig.  Mr.  Champley  was  himself  not  well  in- 
formed regarding  the  previous  history  of  this  egg,  since,  foiuuling  on  an  evidently  misunder- 
stood letter  of  Piisslor's,  lie  traced  it  back  to  him.  But  Herr  G.  H.  Kunz  has  himself  re- 
cently informed  me  that  the  only  egg  which  he  ever  had,  and  which  at  last  he  disposed  of  to 
Mr.  Champley,  came  from  the  hands  of  Herr  Th.  Schulze  of  Neuhaldensleben.  The  son  of 
Herr  Th.  Schulze,  Herr  Jlax  Schulze,  apothecary  and  botanist  in  Jena,  has,  from  papers  of 
his  father  still  in  his  keeping,  been  able  to  inform  me  that  his  father  sold  the  egg  to  Kunz 
in  1857,  for  50  thalers  ( =  £7,  lOs.),  as  I  leani  elsewhere,  and  tliat  he  got  it  in  1835  from 
Herr  Fr.  Schulze  in  Leipzig  for  the  price  of  7  thaleis  (  =  .£1,  Is.),  along  with  eggs  of  the 
Podicep»  cornutus,  Falco  Haliavtus,  &c.,  and  with  the  accompanying  words :  "  I  have  had 
to  keep  the  egg  of  the  Alca  imjmmig  hidden,  as  I  have  been  several  times  asked  for  it,  and 
it  is  probably  the  last  I  shall  get  this  year." 

58.  Bought  about  1860  from  Mechleuburg  of  Flunsburg,  along  with  a  skin,  the  price 
paid  for  both  being,  according  to  Mr.  Champley,  £45,  and  not  XI 20,  as  given  above  in  accord- 
ance with  Mechlenburg's  memoranda.  Tliat  ^Mechleuburg  got  both  skin  and  egg  from 
Iceland  is  certain.  When  he  got  them,  and  when  they  were  captured,  is  still  somewhat  un- 
certain. Descriptions  of  this  egg  are  given  by  Biideker  in  his  work  on  eggs  (he  also  gives 
a  picture  of  it),  and  by  I'iisslor  in  the  "  Journal  fiir  Ornithologie,"  1862,  p.  59. 

59.  Bought  from  Parzudaki  of  Paris.  Parzudaki  got  it  from  the  AbbiS  de  la  Motte  of 
Abbeville.     It  is  described  by  Biideker. 

60.  Bought  in  Italy  from  Bpallanzani.     Accurately  described  by  Biideker. 

61.  Bought  from  Mr.  Ward  of  London,  who  got  it  from  M.  Fairmaire,  a  dealer  in 
zoological  wares  in  Paris.  Size,  4|  inches  long,  3  broad.  It  has  a  ground  colour  of  dirty 
white  beo'itifully  marked  all  over  with  black  and  brown  spots. 

62.  Also  bought  from  Mr.  Ward.  Of  the  same  size  as  61.  The  ground  colour  is  dirty 
white,  with  dark  and  brown  spots,  which  form  a  crown  at  the  broad  end. 

63.  Bought,  through  the  agency  of  Prof.  Flower,  from  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons. 
4J  inches  long,  3J  broad.     Dark-yellow  markings,  all  at  thick  end. 

64.  Bought  from  the  same.  3J  inches  long,  2J  broail  Dark  yellow ;  beautifully 
marked  all  over,  but  somewhat  more  darkly  at  the  thick  end. 


itii 


1  ii  f 


'■ 


34 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


65.  Bought  from  the  same.     4|  inches  long,  2|  broad.     Ground  colour  dark  yellow, 
marked  all  over.  •' 

All  the  nine  jggs  are  in  good  condition  and  quite  perfect. 

66.  Washington,  U.S.A — See  under  Philadelphia. 

6r.  Wavendon  Rectory,  hy  1.  .urn  Beds,  England.-Mr.  Burney,  who  lives  here 
possesses  an  egg  that  came  from  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  and  hence  came  originally 
m  all  probability  from  Newfoundland.  o       j 

68.  Weston-suj^r-Mare,  Somerset,  England.-Tho  late  Mr.  Braikenridge,  of  this  place 
also  bought  an  ogg  from  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons.  Professor  Newton,  writing  to 
me,  says  that  it  is  probably  still  at  Weston  in  the  hands  of  his  heirs  i 


T  '  "J^"  "^f  ^"^  recently  changeJ  hands,  and  is  now  in  the  handa  of  Mr.  Edward  Bidwell  1  Trier 
Lane,  Upper  Thames  Street,  London,  K.C."  He  kindly  informs  the  author  as  follows:  "The  Grea^ 
Auks  egg  now  m  my  collection  is  one  of  the  four  eggs  sold  by  the  College  of  Surgeons  (as  per  Steven's 
Sale  Catalogue,  Ju  y  11th.  1865,  lot  140).  It  was  purchased  by  the  late  Lv.  George  A.  BrafkenriS  o 
Cleyedon  Somerset,  from  whose  sister  I  recently  purchased  it"  This  egg  is  now  preserved  at  Mr.  Bid- 
wsll's  residence,  Fonnereau  House,  Twickenham.— S.  Grieve. 


fc?^  i  '' 


. 


E^^'tf '-   '-4 


(    35     ) 


III. 

HAKLUYT'S  VOYAGES.     London,  1600.     Page  1. 

The  most  ancient  Discouery  of  the  West  Indies,  by  Madoc,  the  Sonne  of  Owen  Guyneth, 
Prince  of  North  Wales,  in  the  yeere  1170 ;  taken  out  of  the  history  of  Wales,  lately 
published  by  M.  Dauid  Powell,  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

AFTER  the  death  of  Owen  Guyneth,  his  sonnes  fell  at  debate  who  should  inherit  after 
him;  for  the  eldest  sonne  borne  in  matrimony,  Edward  or  lorwerth  Drwydion, 
was  counted  unmeet  to  goveme,  because  of  the  mairae  upon  his  face ;  and  Howell,  that 
took  upon  him  nil  the  rule,  was  a  base  son,  begotten  upon  an  Irish  woman.  Therefore 
Dauid  gathered  all  the  power  ho  could,  and  came  against  Howell,  and  fighting  with  him, 
slew  him;  and  afterwards  enjoyed  quietly  the  whole  land  of  North  Wales,  until  hi.s 
brother,  lorwerth's  sonne,  came  to  age. 

Madoc,  another  of  Owon  Guyneth  his  sonnes,  left  the  land  in  contention  betwixt  his 
brethren,  and  prepared  certaine  ships  with  men  and  munition,  and  sought  aduentures  by 
Seas,  sailing  West,  and  leaning  the  coast  of  Ireland  so  farre  North,  that  he  came  unto  a 
land  unkuowen,  where  he  saw  many  strange  things. 

This  land  must  needs  be  some  part  of  that  Countrcy  of  which  the  Spanyards  affirme 
themselves  to  be  the  first  finders  since  Iianno's  time.  Whereupon  it  is  manifest  that  tliat 
countrey  was  by  Britaines  discouered,  long  before  Columbus  led  any  Spanyards  thither. 

Of  the  voyage  and  returne  of  this  Madoc  there  be  many  fables  fained,  as  the 
common  people  doe  use  in  distance  of  place  and  length  of  time  rather  to  augment  then  to 
diminish ;  but  sure  it  is  there  he  wa.s.  And  after  he  had  returned  home,  and  declared  the 
pleasant  and  fruitfull  countreys  that  he  had  scene  without  inhabitant.s,  and  upon  the  con- 
trary part,  for  what  barren  and  wild  groun.l  his  brethren  and  ncphewes  did  murther  one 
another,  ho  prepared  a  number  of  ships,  and  got  with  him  such  men  and  women  as  were 
desirous  to  Hue  in  quietnesse ;  and  taking  leauo  of  his  friends,  tooko  his  journey  thither- 
ward agaiue.  Therefore  it  is  supposed  that  he  and  his  people  inhabited  part  of  those 
countreys ;  for  it  appcareth  by  Francis  Lopez  de  Gomara,  that  in  Acuzamil  and  other  places 
the  people  honoured  the  crosse.  Whereby  it  may  bo  gathered  that  Christians  had  bene 
there  before  the  coming  of  the  Spanyards.  But  because  this  people  were  not  many,  they 
followed  the  nianers  of  the  land  which  they  came  unto,  and  used  the  language  they  foud 
there. 

This  Madoo,  arriving  in  that  Westerne  countrey,  unto  which  lie  came  in  the  yere 
1170,  left  most  of  his  people  there,  and  returning  back  for  more  of  liis  owne  nation, 
acquaintance,  and  friends  to  inhabit  that  faire  and  large  countrey,  wente  thither  agaiue  with 


11 


< 


*■* 


^"  1 

I 

I't-'     "i  a 

^Hi 

»■'  (■     }  3 

i^^H 

™ 

If  5 

i 

li 

1 

! 
1 

i  ' 

4 

1 

i^ . 

i-f,  ■ 

{ 

111     : 

36 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


ten  sailes,  as  I  find  noted  by  Guytyn  Owen.     I  am  of  opinion  that  the  land  whereunto 
he  came  was  some  part  of  the  West  Indies. 

Carmina  Meredith  filij  Rhesi  mentionem  facientia  de  Madoco  filio  Oweni  Guynedd, 
&  de  sua  Navigatione  in  terras  incognitas.  Vixit  hie  Meredith  circiter  annum  Domini 
1477. 

(Mr.  Hakluyt  sayo  that  he  received  the  following  Verses  from  Mr.  William  Camden.) 

Madoc  wyf,  mwyedic  wedd 
lawn  genau,  Owen  Guynedd ; 
Ni  fynnum  dir,  fy  enaid  oedd 
Na  da  mawr,  oud  y  moroedd. 

The  same  in  English. 

Madoc,  I  am  the  sonne  of  Owen  GwyneJd, 
With  stature  large,  and  comely  grace  adorned  : 
No  lands  at  home,  nor  store  of  wealth  me  please. 
My  minde  was  whole  to  search  the  Ocean  Seas. 

For  further  information  regarding  Owen  Guyneth  and  the  name  Penguin,  see  p.  132. 


H 


mmm 


(    37     ) 


I  I 


■1/    IV. 

PROFES^     '  J.  STEENSTRUPS  REMARKS  ON  EAST  GREENLAND  AS  AN 
ANCIENT  STATION  FOR  THE  GREAT  AUK. 

IN  a  letter  dated  30th  March  1885  Professor  J.  Steenstrup  has  kindly  sent  us  the  follow- 
ing  information: — "Danells  or  Granhs  Islands  may  be  considered  to  have  been 
inhabited  by  the  Oeirfugl  in  ancient  times  (300  years  ago),  if  these  islands  really  are  the 
same  as  Gunnbjornsskjoeme,  which  perhaps  may  be  the  case.  Even  then  it  must  bo 
remembered  that  we  have  only  this  one  visit  to  the  islands  recorded  (see  page  4).  During 
this  visit  the  bird  was  seen  there,  and  was  killed  in  great  numbers.  But  whether  the 
birds  lived  there  normally,  or  were  accidentally  driven  to  the  islands,  is  quite  uncertain.^ 
From  the  expedition  sent  from  Denmark  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland,  and  to  Danells 
or  Graahs  Islands,  we  have  as  yet  not  heard  anything.  It  will  be  of  interest  to  hear  if 
they  have  met  with  the  remains  of  the  Geirfugl? 

"  In  the  '  Gronlands  Ilistoriske  Mindesmjerker,'  the  eastern  settlements  referred  to  {the 
Osterhygd)  are  considered  to  have  been  situated  on  the  coast  of  Davis  Strait,  and  proved 
to  have  been  there. 

"  The  old  settlements  of  the  Norse  or  the  Icelanders  in  Greenland  were  all  on  the 
southern  or  most  easterly  part  of  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  or  on  the  northern  or  most 
westerly  part  of  the  same  coast.  Of  these  settlements,  those  to  the  south  were  named 
Osterbygd,  those  on  the  north  Westerbygd.  In  these  localities  the  remains  of  numerous 
ancient  settlements  have  been  found. 

"  The  supposition  of  some  authors,  supported  by  '  Mayor '  (the  voyages  of  Zeno)  and 
of  '  NordenskiiJld,'  as  to  a  change  of  climate,  is  based  on  a  misunderstanding  of  old  rela- 
tions (War  Bere's)." 

"When  sailing  between  Iceland  and  the  settlements  of  Osterbygden,  the  Gunnbjorns- 
skjoeme are  nearly  half-way,  but  near  to  the  east  coast  of  Greenland.  We  hope  that  our 
(Danish)  land  expedition,  travelling  along  the  eastern  coastrline,  may  have  reached  them 
during  1884. 


'  While  attaching  the  greatest  possible  vahie  to  the  opinions  expressed  by  Professor  Steenstrup,  we 
would  respectfully  remark  that  we  think  the  weight  of  all  the  accumulated  evidence  goes  to  prove  that  it 
was  only  at  its  breeding-places  that  the  Oarefowl  was  to  be  found  in  such  great  numbers  oa  appear  to  have 
been  seen  at  Gunnbjornsskjoeme. — S.  Grieve. 

»  The  Danish  Land  Expedition,  1884. 


^^ 


1*  ■  I 


I     .1 


(       38       ) 


.1 


P  '-! 


V. 

CORRESPONDENCE  rboardikg  the  supposed  Stuffed  Skin  of  a  Great  Auk  or 
Garefowl  (Alca  impennis,  Linn),  said  to  have  been  seen  at  Reykjavik,  Iceland, 
BY  R.  Mackay  Smith,  Esq.,  and  party.     (See  also  page  80.) 

IN  the  letter  Mr.  Smith  was  kind  enough  to  address  to  the  author  on  9th  December  1884 
(see  page  80),  he  gave  the  date  of  his  visit  to  Reykjavik,  when  he  saw  this  stuffed  skin 
of  a  Great  Auk,  as  1858,  but  finding  out  afterwards  tliat  he  had  made  a  mistake  he  wrote 
us  as  follows  on  8th  April  1885  :  "  The  specimen  shot  by  Mr.  Siemsen  was  seen  by  several 
members  of  our  party  in  the  first  week  of  July  1855."  On  the  13th  of  the  same  month, 
Mr.  Smith  again  writes  us : 

"  Through  the  Coiisul-Gcneral  for  Denmark,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Russian  War, 
I  received  the  presentation  of  four  berths  on  board  the  war  steamship  Thor.  These  I 
presented  to  the  late  Sir  Henry  James,  Robert  Chambers,  John  Stuart  of  Abercromby 
Place,  Edinburgh,  and  James  Laurie,  a  friend  of  Chambers'.  Sir  Henry's  chief.  Sir  John 
llurgoyne,  having  to  go  to  the  Dardanelles,  I  took  Sir  Henry's  place.  The  party  of  four 
were  joined  by  the  late  Alexander  Allan,  and  Robert  Allan  of  Hillside  Crescent,  Edinburgh. 

"  The  Tlwr  arrived  in  Loitii  Roads  on  the  18th  of  June  1885,  when  wo  embarked. 

"  Of  these  gentlemen  Mr.  Laurie  is  the  only  one  of  the  five  surviving.  He  writes  he 
saw  the  specimen  of  the  Great  Auk  along  with  a  number  of  otlier  stufl'cd  birds,  but  evidently 
he  does  not  remember,  for  there  wa.s  no  other  skin  in  the  house  I  visited  than  that  of  the  one 
in  question,  whicli  stood  in  the  lobby,  the  left  hand  as  wo  entered.  He  was  not  aware,  nor 
was  I,  that  this  specimen  was  of  much  value,  which  must  account  for  the  want  of  any 
notes  regarding  it.  Which  of  the  i)arty,  all  now  deceased,  accompanied  me,  I  have  no 
recollection,  most  likely  one  or  both  of  tlie  Allans  and  John  Stuart. 

"  I  distinctly  remember  the  statement  that  the  bird  was  shot  by  Mr.  Siemsen  a  few 
years  previously  ;  ho  was  the  principal  storekeeper  in  Reykjavik,  and  confirmed  this,  adding 
that  it  was  at  the  skerries  (which  bear  the  name  of  this  fowl  on  the  maps  of  Iceland), 
and  that  he  believed  there  was  .^till  another  specimen  there.  When  I  wrote  to  you  last 
year  I  had  mislaid  the  memoranda  from  which  I  now  write  (to  lie  exact,  the  memoranda 
contain  no  mention  of  the  Garefowl).  '  My  impression  that  the  Floors  specimen  was 
smaller  cannot  bo  insisted  upon.'  " 

On  the  18th  April  1885,  Mr.  Smith  again  writes  us  to  correct  a  mistake  as  to  tho 
name  of  the  gentleman  in  whose  house  at  Reykjavik  ho  saw  the  stuffed  akin.    He  says  : — 

"  Bjarnar  Gunnlaugsson  was  the  surveyor  for  tho  maji  of  Iceland,  occupying  him  a 
long  scries  of  years.  It  was  at  his  house  I  saw  tho  Great  Atik,  and  not  at  Olsons.  Glass 
Nicolas  Olson  directed  him  as  to  laying  it  down  on  the  map.     Please  correct  this  mistake 


^«p 


mmmmm 


i 


APPENDIX. 


39 


arising  from  my  not  being  able  to  read  Icelandic.  I  discovered  it  on  questioning  an 
Icelander  to-day,  who  also  confirmed  my  recollections  of  the  locality  of  the  surveyor's  house 
and  Gunnlaugsson's  being  the  same.  Please  to  inform  Professor  Newton,  for  it  is 
important  to  know  whether  Mr.  Gunnlaugsson  was  alive  when  Professor  Newton  was  in 
Iceland  in  1858.  I  am  writing  to  Iceland  to  know  when  Mr.  Gunnlaugsson  died,  and  for 
other  particulars." 

We  wrote  to  Professor  Newton,  and  the  following  is  his  answer,  dated  21st  April 
1885,     He  says: — 

"I  saw  Mr.  Gunnlaugsson  who  made  the  survey  of  Iceland,  and  I  think  more  than 
once. 

"  Mr.  Wolley,  I  remember,  applied  to  him  in  regard  to  the  precise  position  of  the 
Geirfuglasker,  but  among  his  papers  there  is  only  a  short  memorandum  of  what  passed 
between  them,  and  that  is  not  to  the  present  purpose. 

"The  old  gentleman  was  perfectly  aware  of  our  object  in  visiting  Iceland,  and  it 
would  indeed  be  very  extraoi'dinary  if  lie  had  had  in  his  house  only  three  years  before  the 
Bkm  of  a  Garefow],  and  yet  said  nothing  about  it  to  us ;  while,  of  course,  if  he  had  men- 
tioned such  a  thing,  it  is  impossible  for  Mr.  Wolley  not  to  have  noticed  it,  or  for  me  to 
have  forgotten  it." 


ii! 


VI. 

REMARKS  nv  R.  Champlkt,  Esq.,  on  what  should  be  the  Attitude  given  to  Stuffed 
Skins  op  the  Gheat  Auk  or  Gaiibfowl,  Alca  impcnnis,  Linn. 

TN  a  letter  to  the  author,  dated  29th  April  1885,  Mr.  Champlcy  says  :  "Mr.  J.  Hancock 
-L  told  me  there  was  not  one  bird  correctly  stuffed,  and  he  took  enormous  pains  with  his 
own  in  the  Newcastle  Museum.  All  existing  stuffed  specimens  are  too  stiff  in  the  throat  " 
Writing  us  again  on  1st  May  1885,  he  says :  "Mr.  Hancock  is  the  best  stuffer  in  the 
world;  no  one  has  studied  nature  closer.  All  the  birds  (i.e.  Great  Auks)  he  has  seen  liavo 
the  neck  too  stiff.  His  own  specimen  has  the  neck  pouclml,  so  to  speak,  and  not  too  erect 
1  think  he  is  correct.  He  has  offered  to  re-stuff  my  own  bird,  but  great  care  is  necessary 
to  soften  the  skin."  On  the  2nd  May  Mr.  Champley  sent  us  a  rough  sketch  of  what  he 
supposes  ought  to  be  the  correct  attitude  of  the  stuffed  skins  of  tlie  Great  Auk.  Tliere  is 
nothing  peculiar  about  the  sketch  except  the  throat,  which  has  in  front  rather  more  than 
half  way  down  from  the  head  a  curious  projection  like  a  flattened  dome.  Its  gives  the 
appearance  to  the  bird  he  figures  of  having  a  swelling  upon  its  throat,  and  does  not  look 
natural. 


(     40     ) 


,,,l. 

t     ;' 

r"'f 


1  -  ^^ 


VII. 

REMARKS  uy  R.  Champley,  Esq,,  on  the  Structure  of  the  Shell  of  the  Eoa 
OF  THE  Great  Auk  or  Garkfowl,  Alra  wqiennis,  Linn. 

WRITING  to  tho  author  on  1st  May  1885,  Mr.  Champley  says :  "  I  do  not  know 
wlictlier  you  have  ever  placed  a  portion  of  tho  shell  of  the  egg  under  a  micro- 
scope. If  so,  you  will  have  noticed  the  section  is  not  granulated,  but  transversely  lami- 
nated, or  stratified,  if  that  is  the  more  correct  term." 


VIII. 

IMITATION  GREAT  AUK  EGGS,  the  Possibility  of  theib   being  Puoduckd  in 
Porcelain.     Remarks  by  R.  Champlev,  Esq. 

ON  1st  May  1885,  Mr.  Champley  writes  as  follows  to  the  author  :— "  I  believe  attempts 
will  be  made  to  imitate  tlie  egj,'  in  porcelain  similar  to  the  scent-bottles  we  see  in  tho 
jewellers'  shops.  The  difficulty  will  be  to  prevent  crackin-,'  during  tho  firing.  This  may, 
however,  bo  an  advantage  as  resembling  more  closely  a  cracked  egg.  I  believe,  however, 
it  will  be  possible  to  make  a  very  close  imitation,  judging  from  tlie  excellence  of  tho  manu- 
facture of  the  smaller  birds  eggs  as  above  described. 


•^mmssm^mesm 


(     41     ) 


IX. 

CORRESPONDENCE  Reoardino  the  Remains  of  the  Great  Auk  ok  Garefowl  {Aka 
impennis,  Linn.),  Preserved  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  at  Paris. 

rpiIE  following  information  has  been  received  since  the  greater  part  of  this  work  has 
1  been  printed,  so  there  is  no  reference  to  this  Appendix  at  pp.  79,  82,  89,  and  in  the 
Appendix,  pp.  20,  31. 

As  our  readers  are  aware,  Mr.  R.  Chaniploy  has  been  kind  enough  to  look  over  the 
proofs  of  'leso  pages,  and  observed  the  statement  made  by  Herr  Berger  to  Professor  Wh. 
Blasius,  reierred  to  at  p.  89,  regarding  the  eggs  of  Aka  impennis  said  to  be  preserved  in 
Paris. 

Mr.  Champley  at  once  wrote  to  the  Director  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  at 
Paris,  and  in  a  letter  to  us,  dated  14th  May  1885,  encloses  the  reply,  dated  5th  May  1885, 
of  whicli  the  following  is  a  translation  : 

"  Sir,— You  have  been  good  enough  to  ask  me  in  your  letter  of  24th  April  last  what 
is  the  number  of  specimens  of  the  Grand  Pingouin  {Aka  impemm),  and  of  the  eggs  of  that 
species  forming  part  of  the  collections  of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History.  I  have  the 
honour  to  inform  you  that  there  is  in  the  closed  collections  of  the  Museum  one  stufl'ed 
specimen,  one  complete  skeleton,  and  three  eggs  of  Aka  impennis. 

"Tlie  stuffed  specimen  came  from  the  coasts  of  Scotland,  and  was  acquired  in  1832. 
One  of  the  eggs  came  from  the  same  source.  The  other  two  eggs  came  from  the  New 
World,  and  they  were  ac<iuired  in  1873.  They  were  Hrst  fouml  in  the  collection  of  the 
Lyceum  ut  Versailles.  (They  are  shown  entered  upon  the  catalogue  of  the  Museum  for 
1873,  Nos.  17  ami  18.) 

"  Thus  far  from  having  sold  any  of  the  eggs  belonging  to  its  collection  (which  would 
besides  be  contrary  to  the  regulations),  the  Museum,  notwithstanding  what  may  have  been 
told  you  to  the  contrary,  has  acquired  new  specimens. 

"  The  history  of  the  eggs  of  Aka  impennis  that  are  to  be  found  in  France,  has  been 
given  by  Jlons.  Daovson  Roovby  in  the  Ornithological  Miscellanies,  &c.  &c. 


"  To  Mr.  R.  Champley, 

"  Vice-Premknt  of  the  Phihrnphical  Society, 
"  Scarborouijh,  Emjland." 


"E.  KEMY, 

'  Director  of  the  Museum. 


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INDEX. 


Aalbolm,  Lnnlnntl,  Denmark,  78  ;  App.  4. 

Aall,  Herr  Nicolai,  81  ;  App.  17. 

Aarau,  81,  91  ;  App.  5. 

Abbd  de  la  Motte,  App.  33. 

Abbeville,  79  ;  App.  5,  6,  33. 

Aborigines,  5. 

Ayassiz,  29. 

Alca  borealis,  139. 

Alca  impennis,  138. 

Allan,  Mr.  Qeoige,  73. 

American  Naturalist,  27,  30. 

Amiens,  France,  79  ;  App.  6. 

Amstenlam,  Holland,  80,  89  ;  App.  6,  24. 

Anderson,  Herr  Johann,  and  work,  127,  128. 

Anderson,  Dr.  .loseph,  45,  46,  83. 

Anderson,  Dr.  W.,  19,  1 18. 

Angers,  France,  88  j  App.  25. 

Atiglemager,  122. 

Annals  and  Magazine,  Kat.  Hist.,  2,  28,  44, 

97. 

Annols  of  the  Lyceum  of  Nat.  Hist.,  New  Vork, 

70. 
Anaer  Magellanicus,  seu  Pinguini,  138. 
Apponatli,  134. 
Arctic  Circle,  69. 
Arctic  Manual,  App.  14. 
Arctic  Zoology,  122. 
Ascension,  Island  of,  136,  137. 
Audubon,  7,67,  71,  117. 
Auk,  Great,  Breeding-places,  11,  69. 

Cannot  fly,  32. 

Description  of  the,  68-71,  73. 

Detiched  bones,  82-86,  100-102. 

Driven  on  board  the  vessels  on  planks  or 

sails,  6,  116. 


Auk,  Great,  Earliest  notices  of,  in  America,  5. 

Fossil  state  of,  140,  141. 

(jrenerally  confined  itself  within  sound- 

ings, 66. 

Habits  of  the,  65-72. 

Illustrations  of  remains,  113,  114. 

Imitation  remains,  112,  113  ;  App.  40. 

In  captivity,  71. 

In  the  American  habitiits,  4,  7  ;  App.  53. 

Its  archaeology,  41. 

Its  distribution,  4. 

Its  eggs,  87-90,  92,  93,  103-110. 

Its  European  habitats,  8-26,  69. 

Its  food,  70,  72. 

Its  history,  1. 

Its  reproduction  slow,  65,  72. 

Its  skin,  22,  77-81,  90-97  ;  App.  38,  39. 

Its  value  as  food,  11  .i. 

Likely  to  become  extinct,  2. 

Memoirs  on,  2. 

Mummies  of  the,  140,  141. 

Names  of,  121-139. 

Northern,  139. 

Occurrences  of  its  observation  and  cap- 

ture, 23. 

Physiological  preparations  of,  87,  iiO,  99, 

102,  103. 

Relics  of,  30. 

Remains,  77  to  114. 

Rumours  regarding  remains  of  the.  111, 

112. 

Salted  down,  116,  117. 

Skeletons,  82,  97-99. 

Skerry,  35. 

Slaughters  of,  5,  20,  21,  116,  117  ;  App. 

37. 


I     ,  ! 


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mm 


44 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


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I 


Auk,  Qruat,  Structura  of  the  shell  uf  the  ct,% 
A  pp.  40. 

Stufleil  skins,  App.  4-24. 

Tiie  last  killed  in  Faroe,  10,  11. 

The  last  killed  in  Orkney,  10. 

The  Inst  killed  on  St.  Kilda,  8,  9. 

Tlie  lust  of,  1,  7. 

The  period  during  which  the,  lived,  140, 

141. 

The  stntiona  nt  which  its  remains  have 

been  discovered,  31-64. 

The  young  of  the,  72-7.'). 

Uses  to  which  the,  was  put  by  man,  116- 

120. 

The  Little,  22. 

Austria,  77,  81,  90. 

B 

I5ADEKKR,  App.  33. 

Bnejasker,  Iceland,  41,  42  ;  App.  58.    See  Slaj). 

Barac(),  Count  de,  88,  104,  lO.-). 

Burtlett,  Mr.,  92,  101,  106,  118. 

Bcitriii,'('  zur  Reclitsgeschiclite  des  (lermanischen 

Nordens,  126. 
Belfast  Lough,  Ireland,  23  j  Ap]i.  57.   See  Mai). 
Belgium,  77,  81,  90. 
Bell,  Mr.  H.,  23. 
Benickeii,  23,  7") ;  Apj).  14. 
Berger,  llerr,  h9  ;  Apji.  41. 
Lergues-lcs-Dunkenine,  France,  89 ;  App.  25. 
Berlin,  79,  85;  App.  6. 
Bernera,  133. 

Beskiivelse  over  Faerccerne,  10. 
Bidwell,  Mr.  K.,  83,  84,  87,  88,  106  ;  Apj).  34. 
Bird  Islanils,  App.  2,  53,  54. 
Birds  of  Europe,  the,  69,  71,  75,  112,  139. 
Birds  of  Ireland,  Tlionison's,  8,  23,  67. 
Birds  of  the  \Ve.«t  of  Scotland,  2,  9,  126. 
Blake,  Mr.  Carter,  43. 
Blasius,  Professor  Willi.,  2,  39,  73,  77,  79,  80, 

82,84,  87-S9,  93-97,  101,  107,  110,  113; 

App.  4-.14,  41. 
Blyth,  Mr.,  83, 101. 
Boefayr,  123. 
Bohus  liiii,  23. 
Bolle,  Herr  K.,  79. 
Bonnvista.    See  also  Buona  Vista,  30, 135, 137  ; 

App.  54. 


Bond,  Mr,  105. 

Bono  implements,  62,  lol. 

Boiimit,  Tab).  Kiicyl.,  134. 

Bonnycastle,  Sir  Richard,  66,  117. 

Boston,  U.S.,  82.  , 

Boulogne,  106. 

Boyne  Court,  ICssex,  77  ;  App.  7. 

Bruikenridge,  Rev.  O.  \V.,  87,  106  ;  Ai)p.  34. 

Brandsson,  Jon,  21,  66. 

Brandt,  Mr.  C.  F.,  81,  96. 

Breda,  Professor,  96. 

Bremen,  79,  91  ;  Ai)p.  7. 

Breslau,  79,  89,  97,  103,  108  ;  App.  7,  25,  26. 

Brest,  France,  near,  95  ;  Ap]).  57. 

Brighton,  77,  87  ;  App.  8,  26. 

Brillefugl,  122. 

Brillenalk.  139. 

Brisson,  1,30. 

British  Animals,  24,  130,  133. 

British  Isles,  77,  78,  81-86,  90;  App,  65,  56. 

British  Museum,  10,  100,  102,  113, 

British  ornilhologi.-^ts,  1. 

British  Oinithology,  69. 

British  Watcr-Birds.  130. 

British  Zoology,  130,  131. 

Brodtkorb,  Herr  Laurenz,  69. 

Broiherstoii,  Mr.  Andrew,  93. 

Biiinnich,  139. 

Brunswick,  Germany,  79,  85  ;  A|)p.  7. 

Bruscoli,  Federigo,  99. 

Brussels,  77  ;  App.  8. 

Bryon  or  Brion  Island,  135.     See  Map. 

Butfon,  133. 

Bulletin  de  la  SoeieteOrnitliologique  Suisse,  2, 

70,  74,  77,  122.  135,  137. 
Bullock,  .Mr.,  10,  78.  91. 
Buona  Vista.     See  also  Bonavista,  135,  137. 
liurbach.  Professor,  Ai)p.  12. 
Burkiti,  Dr.,  70, 
Burney,  Uev.  Henry,  88,  106. 
Busk,  Mr.  G.  \V.,  45,  46. 


CVBANIR,  79,  80. 
C.ibot,  Sebastian,  Voyages  of,  5. 
Caun,  Xorniandy,  85. 

Caisteal-naiv-Gillean,  Oronsav,  Scotland,  47-61. 
114. 


1! 


■■■^n 


INDEX. 


45 


Cambridge,  England,  77,  82,  87,  103  ;  App.  8 

26. 
(.'nmden,  Mr.  William,  App.  30. 
Cape  Breton,  4-6  ;  App.  2,  53. 
Cape  Cod,  4  ;  App.  2,  53. 
Cape  Freols,  28. 

Capercaillie  {Telrao  urofiallus,  L.),  31. 
Cartliier,  Jaqiies,  134-137. 
Cartwrij,'lit,  Geo.,  .loiiriial  of  Transactions  and 

Events  in  Labrador,  5,  115,  116. 
Castle  Freke,  Lonj,'  Strand  of  County  Cork,  23  ; 

App.  57. 
Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of  Northumberland  and 

Durham,  62. 
Catti'gat,  23,  24,  32,  34,  36. 
Cervoau,  Mous.,  104. 
Clialons-sur-Saone,  7!) ;  App.  8,  9. 
Champley,  Mr.  R.,  2,  22,  26,  71,  75,  77,  78-81, 

87-89,  91,  06,  97-99,  103-106,  108  ;  App. 

11,25,26,33,  39,40,41. 
Charkoff,  llo. 

Charlesworth,  Dr.  Edward  Moore,  23. 
t'henalopex  impennu,  138,  139. 
Chorographia  lialmeum,  123. 
Cliristianiii,  85. 
Cleasby    and  Vigfusson's    Icelandic  -  English 

Lfxicon,  129. 
Clungunford,  Shropshire,  77,  87,  91  ;  App.  0, 

26,  27. 
ClusiuB,  CaroluB,  132,  138. 
Collett,  Professor  R.,  85,  100  ;  App.  17. 
Colonsay,  47. 
Columbau  Church,  125. 
Comniissioncra  of  Northern  Li^rht-Houses,  9. 
Comjite  Rendu  International  Cong.  d'Anthro. 

et  d'Arch.,  41. 
Comptcs    Ilendus  des  Seances  de   la  Societe 

Entoniologique  de  Belgiipie,  75,  11.3. 
Contributions  a   la   fauna  Oinithologlque   de 

I'Eunipe  occidintale,  95  ;  App.  9. 
Contributions  to  Ornithology,  10. 
Cook,  Mr.,  92. 
Copenliagi-n,  Denmark,  41,  79,  84,  87,  88,  97, 

101  ;  App.  9,  10,  14,  28, 
Copenhagen     Royal      University      Zoological 

Museum,  21,  75,  84,  88  ;  App.  5. 
Cortaillod,  Switzerland,  81  ;  App.  6,  9. 
Crantz,  36,  121. 
Crichton,  Mr.,  106. 


Crouches  Cave,  Maine,  76,  88.    App.  57. 
Crowley,  Mr.  A.,  84,  87. 
Croydon,  Surrey,  87  ;  App.  27. 
Crystal  Spring  Cavern,  Colonsay,  49,  56. 


Daolish,  Mr.  John,  63. 

Danells  Islands,  4  ;  App.  37,  54. 

Danish  Kjokkenmiidding.s,  their  Facts  and  In- 
ferences, 40. 

Darmstadt,  Germany,  79,  85,  113;  App.  9. 

Davies,  Jlr.  Wm.,  43,  44. 

Davies,  the  late  Mr.  James  Boyd,  107. 

Davis,  Mr.,  70. 

Dawkiiis,  Professor  Boyd,  95. 

De  Aniinalibus  Scotiuj,  Edinburgh,  119. 

Debes,  Freroa  Reserata,  70. 

Deglan.l,  23. 

Denmark,  23,  27,  31-33,  37,  39-41,  76,  78,  79, 
81,  84,  86-88,  90,  94,  140.     App.  58. 

Derby,  Earl,  112. 

Dick,  Dr.,  105. 

Dicuile  Lilier  de  Mensura  Orbis  Terra;,  eil. 
Valckena'r,  13,  126. 

Dicuilius,  125. 

Dieppe,  France,  79,  89,  104  ;  App.  9,  10,  27. 

Disco,  App.  14,  55. 

Dolphin,  Cape,  135. 

Donovan,  74. 

Dowell,  Mr.,  109,  110. 

Draak,  Mr.  Roliert,  96. 

Dreailen,  Germany,  79,  82,  89,  100;  App.  10,  27. 

Dresser,  II.  V..,  71,  74,  75, 112,  139. 

Drotit,  the,  2. 

Dublin,  Ireland,  71,  77  ;  App.  10. 

Dul'resne,  Mons.,  87,  95,  107,  108,  111,  112. 

Dunn,  Mr.  Robert,  104. 

Durham,  England,  22,  78;  App.  10. 

Durham  University  Museum,  91 ;  App.  10. 

DUsseldorf,  Germany,  89,  104 ;  App.  27,  28. 


Eabi.y  Iron  Age,  41. 
Edda,  Pro.se,  127. 
Edinburgh,  82,  8,3,  87 ;  Apji.  28, 
Edinburgh  Museum  of  Science  and  Art,  82,  83, 
92,  102,  107, 


4ft 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


I 


-I, 


I* 


Kiliiiburi;h  Pliilognjiliical  Journal,  0,  74. 

Eilinburjfh  University  Museum,  9. 

E'lward,  Qeorge,  132,  13a 

Egede,  3fi. 

Eilcan-QhurJimeal,  59. 

Eilean-nnn-Eon,  59. 

Eldey,  Skerry  nuineil,  1,  15-18,  20,  21,  23,  6(1, 

87,  91,  96,  103  ;  App.  154,  65.     *tie  Map. 
Eldeyja-boiii,  18. 
Eldeyjiir,  15. 
Eldeyjardriingr,  16-17. 
Elliot,  Mr.  D.  O.,  92 ;  App.  19. 
Eiigelliardt,  41. 
English  Pilot,  60. 
EsarokitAok,  121. 
E-tcliriclit,  Professor,  32,  34. 
Et   Bidrag  til  Geirfuj^lens   Natiirlustorie,  28, 

31,  69,  74. 
Exoticoriiui  Decern  Libri,  132,  138. 
Eyton,  Mr.  T.  C,  39,  100. 


Fader,  13,  18;  App.  1,  14. 

Fiibricius,  36,  71-73,  121 ;  App.  1,  18. 

Fairemaire,  Mons.  E.,  95,  105;  App.  33. 

Fairhair,  King  Harold,  126. 

Fanuerup  Jutland,  39,  84  ;  App.  58. 

Fame  Islands,  Northumlierland,  62  ;  App.  55. 

Faroe,  4,  8,  10,  11,  19,  36,  67,  70,  84-86,  90, 
102,  126,  138;  App.  2,54. 

Fatio,  Mons.  Victor,  2,  70,  77,  79,  81,  89,  109, 
122,  i:)6,  137;  App.  5. 

Fauna  Groenlandica,  72,  121. 

Keddersen,  Herr,  37,  38,  84. 

Fioert,  122. 

Fiseskiit  or  Fjcerskidt,  123. 

Field  and  Forest  Rambles,  30. 

Field  newsjiaper,  29,  30. 

Fielden,  Major  H.  W.,  10,  87,  108. 

Firth  of  Clyde,  9. 

Fiskernaes,  Greenland,  App.  14,  55.     See  Map. 

Fleming,  J.,  D.U.,  Prof,  of  New  College,  Edin- 
burgh, 9,  24,  69,  74,  130. 

Flensburg,  Germany,  79,  97;  App.  10,  11. 

Flint  implements,  101, 

Floors  Castle,  Kelso,  Scotland,  78,  92;  App. 
11,38. 


Flora  Scotica,  72,  126. 

Florence,  Italy,  HO,  87,  97,  98;  App.  U. 

FlowetH,  Prof.  H.,  8.3,  106 ;  App.  33. 

Fogo  Island,  37,  39,  116. 

Foljaml)e,  Mr.  F.  W.,  78 ;  App.  80. 

Forchhanuner,  M.,  the  lute,  33,  37,  41;  App. 

23. 
Forsog  til  en  Islandsk  Nuturhistorie  Ect.,  13, 

70. 
Forster,  Mr.  John  Reinhold,  138. 
Forster,  Synopt.  Cat.  Brit.  B.,  139. 
Fox,  Mr.  O.  T,  F.L.S.,  73. 
France,  79,  81,  82,  85,  86,  88-00;  App.  57. 
Frank,  Mr.,  91,  92,  90,  109,  110;  App.  12,  24. 
Frankfort-on-Mainr,  Germany,  70;  App.  12. 
Frederick  IV.  of  Denmark,  128. 
Fredcrikshaab,  Greenland,  App.  1,  66. 
Frederikstadt,  Norway,  24;  App.  65.    See  Map. 
Fritsch,  Ilerr  A.,  75,  77. 
FUi;loser  Alk,  139. 
Funk  Island,  4,  6,  27-30,  39,  76,  84,  8,5,  101, 

102,  115,  135,  140,  141  ;  App.  2,  54,  57. 

See  Map. 


a 

Uaillahd,  Mons.  Olphe,  79, 81,  89,  95 ;  App.  9. 

Gaills,  Diibli,  123. 

GailLs  Finn,  123. 

Galileo,  99. 

Oalletly,  Mr.  Alex.,  48,  50,  83,  107. 

Galloway,  Mr.  William,  47-50,  52,  61,  83. 

Gardiner,  Mr.,  105, 

Garefogel,  139. 

Garefowl,    See  also  under  Auk. 

Appearance  in  Ireland,  21,  22. 

Habits  of,  65-75. 

Its  European  habitats,  8,  31. 

Iti  value  as  food,  5. 

Memoirs  of,  2. 

Mummy,  28. 

Recapitulation  of  the  various  investiga- 

tions concerning  the  distribution  of  the, 
App.  1-3. 

Remains  of,  27,  43,  76. 

Rocks  off  coast  of   Iceland,   4,   11-21  ; 

App.  1-2. 
Salted  down,  20. 


i 

hi  *^ 
I 


'  i 

i 

j 

—.■*' 

U 

INDEX. 


47 


Ourefowl,  Stupiil,  67. 

The,  nnd  its  Historinng,  2,  7, 10, 17, 21,  24, 

28,  105. 

Garfish  or  (Jarpike,  12B. 

GarvaKh,  Lord,  88,  104,  106. 

Giirvu^jh,  tlie  DowagtT  Lady,  106. 

(ieirfulkar,  121. 

GeirfuHl,  11,  121,  124-129;  App.  1-3,  37. 

Geirfugk,  121. 

Oeirfuglnsker,  11-20,  22,  35,  116,  118;  App. 
54,  55,  67.     Sre  Mup. 

Geirfugladriingr  (Oiirefowl's  Cliff  or  Rock),  17, 
18;  App,  66.     S«eMop. 

General  History  of  Birds,  by  Dr.  Latham,  10. 

Germany,  7i)-82,  85-87,  89,  90  ;  App.  65. 

Gerrard,  Mr.  E.,  44,  82-84,  92,  99,  100,  102. 

Gibson,  Mr.  J.,  60,  78,  93,  107  ;  App.  11. 

Giglioli,  Professor  Enrico  H.,  80,  97,  98. 

Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  Voyajje  of,  to  New- 
foundland, 115,  134. 

Gilpin,  John,  19. 

Gisbome,  Rev.  T.,  22,  91. 

Glahn,  36. 

Glass  or  Scalpa,  Island  of,  8,  9. 

Glindon,  Mr.,  28. 

Godelz,  135-137. 

Gotlia,  Germany,  79,  91 ;  App.  12. 

Gough,  Mr.,  70. 

Gourock,  9  ;  App.  57. 

Graahs  Islands,  4  ;  App.  37. 

Orabn,  Herr,  10. 

UiiitE,  77  ;  App.  12,  13. 

Gray,  Mr.  Robert,  2,  21,  30,  88,  117,  118,  126, 
128,  13.3,  134. 

Gray,  Hand-List  of  Birds  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum, 138,  139. 

Greenland,  36,  69,  72,  79  ;  App.  37,  54,  55,  56. 

Grew,  Mr.  Ncliemiali,  8.3. 

(Jrimsey  Islaml,  Huna  Floi,  North  Iceland,  22. 

Grimsey  Ishmd,  North  of  Iceland,  22;  App. 
57.    See  Map. 

Gronlands  Historiske  Mindesmajrker,  4  ;  App. 
37. 

Gudumlund,  Jutland,  39,  84  ;  App,  58. 

Gulf  Stream,  69. 

GuniibjornsskjoiSme,  4  ;  App.  37. 

Gunnlaugsson,  Bjarnar,  App.  38,  39. 

Gumey,  T.  H.,  jun.,  71. 

Guynetli,  Owen,  132  ;  App.  35,  .36. 


Haari.rm  Mubeum,  96. 

Haiis,  Edward,  Report  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gil- 
ben's  Voyage,  115. 

Hakiuyf,  Mr.  Ridiard,  115,  134,  136. 

llakluyi's  Voyages,  4-6,  11.%  131-13.3, 135, 1.36; 
App.  36,  36. 

Iliikonarsson,  Villijiilmnr,  21. 

Hamburg,  87,  96,  97. 

Hamoiiville,  Buron  d',  89. 

Hiincock,  J.,  Neweastle-on-Tvne,  6,  62-64,  78, 
84,88,  112,  120;  App  30,  :U,  39. 

Hanover,  Germany,  79  ;  App.  13. 

Hansen,  Christian,  21. 

Hansen,  Jan,  11. 

Hansen,  Peter,  19,  20. 

Hardy,  Mr.  J.  R.,  95. 

Hardy,  M.,  23,  79,  89,  104  ;  App.  10. 

Harvey,  Dr.,  23. 

Haveli,  Mr.  Henry,  7,71. 

Havelsc,  Iceland,  37,  84  ;  App.  58. 

Huvetlun,  122. 

Havre  de  Gruce,  115. 

Hawkatoiie,  Shropshire,  England,  78  ;  App.  13. 

Hay,  C(d.  Drummond,  7. 

Hebrides,  8  ;  App.  54. 

Heilmann,  App.  14. 

Heli^'cdand,  37. 

Hellersknipa,  Iceland,  21  ;  App.  4,  .'5,  55. 

Heilmann,  Dr.,  79. 

Hill,  Mr,  110. 

Hill,  Viscount,  78. 

Hirta,  118,  119,  129  ;  App.  54,  55. 

Historia  avium,  134. 

History  of  British  .\nimals,  9,  69. 

Hitchin,  England,  87,  103  ;  App.  28. 

Holland,  61,  80,  81,  90. 

HoUboIl,  36,  89. 

Homeyer,  Herr  Ale.ic.  von,  79. 

Hompesch,  Baron,  19. 

Hooker,  Sir  William,  24, 

Hore,  M.,  Voyage  of,  5. 

Hore,  Mr.  Robert,  117,  132,  137. 

Horrebow,  Mr.  N.,  118,  127-129. 

Howse,  Mr.,  62,  63. 

Hiilinel,  Barl)er,  90  ;  App.  25. 

Hunter,  Mr.  John,  82. 

llu.xley.  Professor  T.  II.,  43. 


liU- 


ri 


48 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Ibis  ;  Oniitliological  Magazine,  2,  5-8,  12,  13, 
lG-22,  24,  42,  70,  77,  100 ;  App.  4,  5. 

Icelniul,  8,  11-16,  27,  31,  35,  41,  42,  69,  76,  60, 
81,  9(1,  101,  124-127  ;  App.  54. 

leeliiiiil,  volcanic  subsidences  off  const,  14. 

Iceland,  Niitural  History  of,  118,  127. 

Indian,  Red,  5. 

Inj^olf,  126. 

Iniroduclioi;,  1. 

lones,  M.  Kice,  133. 

Ipswich,  Massacliusetts,  76,  85  ;  App.  58. 

Islel'sson,  SimirSr,  21,  67. 

Isis,  75  ;  App.  5. 

Ireland,  125. 

Italy,  80-82,  85,  87,  90. 


Jacobskn,  Ikrr  S.,  87,  10  5. 
Jaiiiracli,  Xtr.,  87,  103. 
Jenson,  Christen,  123. 
Jenyns,  77. 

Jp'.nle,  Pioftssor  Van  Lidth  de,  78. 
Johnson,  l!ev.  Kei,'inald  M.,  28. 
Johnson,  Jlr.  AV.  R.,  104. 
J6nsson,  Jon,  22. 
Jonsson,  Sigurd,  App.  4,  5. 
Journal  fiir  Uniithologie,  108;  App.  5,  33. 
Journal  of  the  Anthropolofrical  Society,  43. 
J  -dnial  of  Transactions  and  Events    on    the 
Coast  of  Labrador,  Tj,  Al. 


K 

Kfil,  Germany,  23,  79  ;  App.  13,  55! 

Kciss,  Cuitl]ne>s,  43-45,  76  ;  App.  58. 

Ketilsirn,  Ketil,  21,  67. 

K(\ser,  .Mr.  R.,  121. 

Kielf,  110. 

Kjiirbollinj.',  App.  5,  19. 

Kjobeiihavn.     liee  Copenhaj;en. 

Kjokkennioddings,  39-41,  100. 

Klein,  134. 

Kliinue,  llerr  Huf^o,  App.  28. 

Koch,  Prof.  G.  \on,  113. 


Kothen,  Aulialt,  Germany,  79  ;  App.  13. 

Krisavik,  Iceland,  125. 

Kunz,  Herr  G.  H.,  App.  33. 

Kyrkjuvogr,  Iceland,  18,  21,  41,  42  ;  App.  58. 


Labrador,  7,  36,  78,  117. 

Labrador,  island  olf  coast  of,  App,  66. 

Ladejj;aarden  (or  (leirfuglasker  proper),  17. 

Lain^;,  Samuel,  M.P.,  27,  43-45. 

Latham,  General  History  of  Birds,  10,67,  130. 

Latham,  General  Synopsis  of  Birds,  73. 

Latrabjarg,  Iceland,  21 ;  App.  55. 

Laurie,  Mr.,  App.  38. 

Lausanne,  89,  109  ;  App.  28. 

Lautrum-Fugleberg,  App.  1. 

Leach,  Dr.,  10,  78. 

Leadbetter,  Mr.,  91,  94,  103. 

Leeds,  Eiigland,  78  j  App.  14. 

Leighton,  Montgomeryshire,  78;  App.  14. 

Leipzig,  Germany,  79,  103  ;  App.  14,  15. 

Leyden,  Holland,  8(i,  89  ;  App.  15,  29. 

Lichtenstein,  Prol.,  79  ;  App.  6. 

Lightfoot,  Dr.,  72.  126. 

Lighthouse,  Mull  of  Cantire,  9. 

Liiford,  Lord,  82,  88,  106,  109,  110;  App.  30. 

Lille,  France,  79  ;  App.  15. 

Limpet  hanmiers,  67. 

Limpet  shells,  51. 

Linna^au  Society  Transactions,  24,  27,  43. 

Linuitus,  13S. 

Linn.  Syst.  Nat.,  138. 

Lir,bon,  l'(jruigal,  81,  89  ;  App.  15,  29. 

Lister,  Mr.  Andrew,  109. 

Lister,  Mr.  John,  109. 

Lister,  Dr.,  109. 

Liverpool,  England,  87  ;  App.  29. 

Lobner,  Major,  20. 

Loch  Fada,'52. 

London,  78,  H2,  83,  87, 88,  97 ;  App.  15, 29, 30. 

Longchamps,   near    Warenne,    Belgium,     77  : 

App.  15. 
Longchamps,  Edmund  do  Selys,  75,  113. 
Lorange,  Herr  A.,  121,  123,  124. 
Lubbock,  Sir  John,  56. 
Lund,  Sweden,  81  ;  App.  15,  16. 
Luudy  Island,  Bristol  Chaunel,  23  ;  App.  57, 

See  Map. 


'■mi)i»>i»ii 


INDEX. 


49 


M 

Macaulay,  Kev.  Kenneth,  36,  65,  67,  129, 130. 

Macfiirlnne,  Di-.  J.  M.,  52. 

Macgillivj'ay,  8,  130. 

Mac>,'re),'or,  tlie  lute  Mr.  J.,  St.  John's,  7. 

Mackenzie,  Mr.,  24. 

Mackenzie,  Sir  George,  119. 

Maclellan,  Mr.,  8. 

Macleod,  Malcolm,  24. 

Macqueen,  DoniiUl,  8. 

M'Cliiitoek,  Sir  F.  Leopold,  25,  26. 

M'Neill,  V.C,  Mujor-General  Sir  John   Car- 
stairs,  48,  82. 

M'Neill,  Mr.  Malcolm,  48. 

Magnusson,  13. 

Maine,  U.S.,  30. 

Mainz,  Germany,  79,  91  ;  App.  16. 

Malcolm,  John,  Esq.,  78,  88,  91,  94,  103. 

Manchester  Museum,  95,  109. 

Mannheim,  91. 

Manonville,  France,  89 ;  App.  30. 

Margaulx,  135-137. 

Marstranil,  Sweden,  23;  App.  55. 

Martin,  M.,  A  Voyage  to  St.  Kilda,  8,  30,  65, 
76,  119. 

Massachusetts,  U.S.,  30  ;  App.  53,  58. 

Masters,  Mr.,  112. 
Matdcoptera  ivipennis,  139. 
Maurer  Beitrage  zur  Reclitsgeschiclite  des  Ger- 
nianisclien  Nordens,  126, 

Mayor,  App.  37. 

Meclilenburg,   Hcrr,    tlie    hue,  81,    91,    108; 

Vpp.  25,  33. 
Meezemaker,  M.  do,  89. 
Meilgaard,  Jutland,  :n,  33,  40,  84  ;  App.  f)8. 
Alergu.i  AmericaitHs,  138. 
Metz,  Gernuiuy,  79;  App.  Ui. 
Mi'yer,  Dr.  A.  R,  100. 
Michalielles,  Dr.  C,  81, 
Mihui,  Italy,  81,  82;  App.  10. 
.Milne,  Professor  John,  29,  30,  50,  82,  84,  85,  90, 

99,  101,  102. 
Milner,  Sir  F.,  88. 
Milner,  the  late  Sir  W.,  104. 
Mingulay,  133. 
Miquelon,  App.  31,  32,  56. 
Mitthfilungen  des  Oniitliologischen  Vi-reins  in 
Wien,  100;  App.  17. 


Mohr,  l;5,  19,  70. 
Mohring,  139. 
Moller,  Herr,  21. 

Montagu's  Ornithological  Dictionary,  10. 
Montessua,  Dr.  de,  79 ;  App.  9. 
Morck,  18. 
Moscow,  110. 

Mount  Desert,  76,  85  ;  App.  5?. 
Miiller,  Baron,  App.  23. 
Munch,  Mr.  P.  A.,  121, 
Munich,  80,  91 ;  App.  16. 
Munro,  Robert,  Esq,,  M,A.,  M.D.,  40. 
Murray,  Mr.  John,  109. 
Murray,  Mr.  W.  C,  109, 
Murs,  M.  Des,  89,  103. 

Museum  Wormianum   seu    Historioa    Ilerum 
Rariurum,  67,  70,  138. 

N 

Nachrichten  von  Island,  Gronlaiid  und  dcr 

Strasse  Davis,  19,  127. 
Naes.    See  under  Nees. 
Natural  History  of  Bird.-",  67,  132. 
Natural  History  of  Ireland,  71,  127. 
Natural  History  of  Norway,  123. 
Natural  History  Review,  2,  7,  10,  17,  21,  24 

28,  56,  105,  122,  137;  App.  5. 
Natural  History  Trans,  Northumberland,  Dm- 

ham,  27,  43,  62. 
Naturhistorlsk  Tidskrift,  2,  3. 
Naumann,  App.  13. 
Naylor,  Mr.,  78;  App,  14, 
Nees,  Arendal,  Norway,  81 ;  App,  17. 
Neuchatel,  Switzerland,  81,  91 ;  App.  17. 
Newcasile-on-Tyne  Museum,  63,  73,  75,  78,  84, 

88;  App,  17,  18,  ;!0,  31. 
Newfounilland,  6,  27,  30,  73,  85,  86,  90,  109, 

115,  117,  134,  135,  1.37  ;  App.  54,  56,  57. 
Newfoundland,  islands  off  coast  of,  28-30. 
Newfoundland,  bank  of,  5,  7,  67,  71,  115,133  • 

App,  56. 
Newfoundland,  Bishop  of,  27-29,  44, 
Newfoundland,  as  it  was  and  as  it  is  in  1877,  30, 
Newton,  Professor  Alfred,  2,  7, 10,  12, 13,  16-19 

21,  22,  27-29,  41,  42,  44,  66,  69,  77-83,  85, 

87-89,  93,  94,  96,  101,  102,  105,  107,  110, 

122,123,128,  137;  App.  8,  11,  30,  39. 
Newton,  Mr.  E.,  82,  87. 
New  York,  81,  92;  App.  19. 

2  IJ 


I 


$  i 


I  111 


^1. 


5° 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  G  A  RE  FOWL. 


M 


'  1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

^?l 

M      J 


Xew  Zealand,  89,  90. 

Nilsson,  Professor,  23. 

Nordenskiold,  App.  37. 

North  America,  coast  of,  27. 

Norway,  69,  81,  85,  86,  90,  104,  126, 127  ;  App. 

65,  57. 
Norway,  Old  Laws  of,  121,  125. 
Norwich,  78;  App.  19. 

Nova  Scotian  Institute  of  Natural  Science,  29. 
Nova  Scolian  Institute,  Transactions  of,  29. 
Nunappleton,  England,  88,  104;  App.  31. 


Oddsson,  Thorwalder,  21. 

IMman,  Dr.,  23,  122,  123. 

Ohinitahi,  New  Zealand,  88,  89,  104;  App.  31. 

Oiseaux,  133. 

Olafsson,  E.,  11,  12,  15,  16,  19,  20,  66,  118. 

Olavius,  OlauR,  12. 

Oldenburj,',  80,  89;  App.  19,  31. 

Olsen,  Mr.,  12,  80, 

Orkney  inga  Saga,  46. 

Orkney  Islands,  4,  8,  10,  104,  107,  126,  130. 

Ornitliolooical  Biography,  7,  67,  71. 

Oronsay,  i.iland  of,  Scotland,  43,  47-57,  59-61, 

76,  83 ;  App.  58. 
Orton,  Professor  James,  30. 
Osberton,  Nottinghamshire,  78 ;  App.  20. 
Osterl)ygd;  App,  37. 
Oversigt  over  Videnskab,  Selskabs,  Forliand- 

linger,  27,  31. 
Owen,  Professor,  2,  44,  53,  82. 
Oxford,  England,  88;  App.  31. 


Papa  Westra,  10,  67,  91,  130 ;  App.  54,  55. 

Papplewick,  88 ;  App.  31. 

Paris,  79,  82,  89,  95,  104,  105,  108;  App.  20, 

31,  32,  41. 
Parkhurst,  M.  Anthoine,  Letter  of,  6,  115,  133, 

137. 
Parmenivs,  Steven,  134. 
Parzudaki,  Ai)p,  33. 
Passler,  Herr  W.,  77;  App.  13,  33. 
Peckhani,  Sir  Oeorge,  Knight,  134. 
Penguin  Island,  South  Newfoundland,  6 ;  Ap]). 

2,  54.     See  Map. 
Penguin,  131. 


Penguin  Rocks,  Ajip.  56. 

Pennant,  47,  67, 122,  126,  130. 

PeMiiant'.s  Dritisli  Zoology,  5,  67,  122. 

Pennant's  Tour  through  the  Western  Isles,  47. 

Perrot,  104. 

Philadelpliia,  U.S.,  81,  89,  103;  App,  20,  32. 

Physiological  Museum,  Copenhagen,  32, 

Piccioli,  Ftrdinand,  99. 

Piiikertoii,  Jolin,  General  Collection  of  Voyages 

and  Travels,  119. 
Pisa,  81 ;  App,  20. 
Plateau,  James,  138. 
Plautm  impeimis,  139. 
Polilmeyer,  Herr  Director,  App.  28. 
Poltalloch,  Argyllshire,  78,  88,   91,  94,    103  ; 

App.  21,  32. 
Portland,  U.S.,  30. 
Portugal,  81,  89,  90. 
Potts,  Mr.  T.  H,,  88,  89,  104,  106. 
Poughkeepsie,  US,,  81 ;  App.  21. 
Prague,  Pohemia,  73,  77  ;  App.  10,  21. 
Preliistoric  Remains  of  Caithness,  27,  43,  44. 
Preyer,  Professor  W.,  and  his  Work,  2,  11,  12, 
14,  15,  20,  22,  79,  80,  95,  96, 108, 122, 138, 
139  ;  App.  17,  21. 
Proceedings    Royal    Physical    Society,    Edin- 
burgh, 80,  93. 
Proceedings  Royal  Society,  Edinburgh,  2, 8,  21, 

112,  118,  128,  133,  134. 
Proceedings   Scottish    Society  of  Anticjuaries, 
2,  9,40,45,46,49,65,67,74,76,83,  124,  138. 
Proctor,  Mr.,  22,  91,  112. 
Prodromus  der  islandischun  Ornithologie  Ko- 

penhagen,  13. 
Prodrom.  histor.  avium,  134. 
Puffin,  29,  36. 

R 

Raukn,  Count,  Nysled,  78,  94  ;  App.  4. 

Ilabeii,  Count  F,  C.,  17,  18  ;  App.  4,  5. 

Rue,  Jolm,  25,  26. 

Raman,  Herr,  Ajip.  12. 

Razor  bill,  l:)3. 

Red  Indian,  5. 

Reid,  Mr.,  22,  91,  90,  103,  104. 

Reigate,  Surrey,  88  ;  App,  32. 

Reindeer,  46, 

Reinhardt,  Professor  J„3,22,  36, 70;  App.  14,  IT, 

Reise  igiennera  Island,  12,  118. 


;     i 


■■■■ 


I 


INDEX. 


SI 


Reise  nach  Faro,  10. 

Relics  (if  the  Great  Auk  on  Funk  Island,  29,  30. 

Remnrk.s  on    East   Greenland   as  an   Ancient 

Station  fur  the  Great  Ank,  App.  37. 
Remarks  on  what  should  be  the  Attitude  given 

to  Stuffed  Skins  of  the  Great  Auk,  Ajip.  39. 
Remarks  on  the  Structure  of  the  Shell  of  tlie 

Egg  of  the  Great  Auk,  App.  40. 
Researches  in  Iceland  (Newton),  CG. 
Reykjanes,  14-20,  22,  127. 
Reykjavik,12, 13, 19, 20, 21,80,91, 116 ;  App.38. 
Richardson's  Fauna  Boreali  Americana,  70. 
Eock,  Mrs.,  77,  87. 
Eodern,  Count,  89,  108. 
Ross,  Mr.  Henry,  96. 
Rowley,  Mr.  G.  F.,  87,  88,  104,  106, 
Rowley,  the  late  Mr.  O.  D.,  87,  92,  104,  106. 
Roxburghe,  His  Grace  the  Duke  of,  92,  93. 
Royal  College  of  Surgeons,  London,  102,  105. 
Royal  Society  of  Sciences,  Copei  hagen,  41. 
Russia,  81,  89,  90. 

S 

Saga  of  Burnt  Njal,  126. 

St.  Kildn,  4,  8,  24,  36,  65, 74,  76,  118-120,  130; 

App.  2,  54,  55. 
St.  Kilda,  History  of,  65,  67,  129,  130. 
St.  Kilda,  A  Voyage  to,  119. 
St.  Lawrence,  Bay  of,  4  ;  App.  2,  53. 
St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  81,  89,  110  ;  App.  21. 
St.  Pierre,  App.  31,  32,  56. 
Salniin,  Mr.,  96. 
Salvadori,  T.,  100. 

Sandoe,  Island  of,  Faroe,  84  ;  App.  64. 
Scales,  Mr.,  88,  107  ;  App.  30. 
Scarborough,  Yorkshire,  78,  88,  103  ;  App.  21, 

22,  33,  34. 
Kchlegel,  Mr.  H.,  89. 
SchlUter,  HeiT,  App.  24. 
Schneider,  ProlV»»(ir  Anton,  97. 
Schullz,  Herr  Friedricli,  96,  103,  104. 
Schulze,  Herr  Th.,  App.  33. 
Sihweageichen,  Professor  Ur.,  96. 
Sclater,  Mr.  Ph.  L,  80,  89  ;  App.  15. 
Scottish  National  Museum  of  Antiijuities,  44. 
Seeland,  39. 
Selby,  Mr.,  69. 
Selniing,  Herr,  87,  103. 
Selvogr,  Iceland,  21  ;  App.  65. 


Shavpe,  Mr.  R.  Bowdler,  110. 

Shell  Heai>s,  76,  85. 

Shetland  Islands,  4,  10,  126  ;  App.  56. 

Sibbald  MSS.,  Advocates'  Library,  Edinburgh, 

119. 
Sibbald,  Sir  Robert,  119. 
Siemsen,  Herr  Carl,  21,  80, 91, 92,  96  ;  App.  38. 
Skandinavisk  Fauna,  2. 
Skai.tal'ells-Sysla,  18. 
Skirving,  Mr.  R.  Scot,  24,  110. 
Skye,  24,  25  ;  App.  57.     See  Map. 
Small,  Mr.,  109-112. 
Smith,  the  late  Dr.  John  Alex.,  his  work,  2, 

44-46,  65,  74,  76,  83,  124,  125,  138. 
Smith,  Mr.  R.  M.,  80  ;  App.  38. 
Solager,  Seeland,  39,  84  ;  App.  58. 
Stindmor,  near  Aalesund,  Norway,  36, 122, 123  ; 

App.  57.     See  Map. 
Spallanzani,  App.  33. 
S[)itzbergen,  37,  69. 
Steenstrup,  Professor  Japetus,  2,  10,  30-35,  37- 

41,  56,  66,  69,  72-75,  78,  79,  84,  87,  88, 

94,  100,  102,  121,  122,  124-129,  131,  136, 

]37,  139,  140  ;  App.  1-4,  6,  7,  U,  13,  14, 

16-19,  23,  28,  37. 
Slenimata  avium,  134. 
Stevens,  105,  10<i,  109. 
Stevenson,  Mr.,  9. 
Stockholm,  Sweden,  81  ;  App.  22. 
Stone  Age,  40. 
Stopford,  Rev.  Joseph,  23. 
Strassburg,  Germany,  80  ;  App.  22,  23. 
Striini,  36,  122. 
Stuart,  Mr.  R.  L.,  92. 
Stuttgart,  Germany,  80  ;  App.  23,  24. 
Stuvitz,  Herr  P.,  27,  28,  32,  34,  37,  39,  84,  8"), 

100,  101; 
Svartlugle,  38. 
Sweden,  81,  90  ;  App.  55. 
Switzerland,  81,  89,  90. 
Systematisclie  Darstellung  der   Fortpflanzung 

der  Viigel  Europas,  App.  29. 


Taczanow.ski,  Herr  Lad.,  79,  95. 
Tenindnck,  App.  24,  29. 

Tennninek's  Udtryk  i  Manuel  d'Ornithologie, 
70,  73,  133. 


52 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


iKi 


? 


Termniix,  136. 

Tern,  29. 

Teyler,  96. 

Thmie,  Factor  Chr.,  10.3. 

Thevet,  Andie,  1.36. 

Thienmann,  104  ;  App.  25,  29. 

Thomson,  Birds  of  Irehmil,  23,  67. 

Tliornain,  Mr.,  88. 

Thorsliavn,  19. 

Tliorsteinson,  Mr.,  80. 

TilforIa(leli;,'a  Efterretningar  oni  Island,  19. 

Tistlarnn,  23  ;  App.  55.     See  Map. 

Tocque,  Rev.  Philip,  M.A.,  30. 

Tossefiiyl,  1,39. 

Tran.»aclion8  of  the  Botanical  Society,  Edin- 
burgh, 47. 

Transactions  of  Nova  Scotian  Institute  of 
Natural  Science,  27,  29. 

Transactions  Tynesiile  Naturalists'  Cluh,  62, 67. 

Transactions  of  the  Zoological  Society,  London, 
101. 

Traquair,  Dr.  R.  H.,  F.R.S.,  50,  53. 

Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,  7 ;  App.  56.  See  JIap. 

Trinity  College  Museum,  Dublin,  23. 

Troughton,  Dr.,  92,  106. 

Tucker,  Mr.,  101. 

Tuke,  Mr.,  87. 

Tunstall,  Marniijdnke,  73. 

Turati,  Count  Ercole,  81,  100. 

Turin,  Italy,  81  ;  App.  24. 

Turner,  Prof.  W.,  108. 


Ueber  Plautm  impennis,  2,  11,  12,  16,  20,  22, 

122,  134,  138, 139. 
Undersogelser   i  geologisk— Antiqvarisk   Ret- 

ning,  33,  37. 
United  States,  76, 81, 82, 85, 86, 89,  90 ;  App.  57. 


Veneria  Reale,  Italy,  81 ;  App,  24. 

Versailles,  89. 

Vian,  Mon.  Jules,  79,  95. 

Videnskabelige  Meddeltlser,  2,  4,  8,  28,  69,  74, 

Vieillot,  139. 

"Vienna,  Austria,  77 ;  App.  24. 

Vikings,  127. 


Vincelot,  the  Abbe,  104. 
Virgin  Rock.s,  7  ;  App.  56. 
Vitry-le-Fran9ois,  France,  79;  App.  24. 
Vouga,  Captain  A.,  81. 
Vulture,  127-129. 

w 

Waddon,  84. 

Walter,  Mr.,  88. 

Ward,  Mr.,  App.  33. 

Warsaw,  95,  1 10. 

Washington,  U.S.,  81,  89 ;  App.  24,  34. 

Waterford,  Ireland,  23,  67,  70  ;  App.  55. 

AVavendon,  Buckinghamshire,  88;  App.  34. 

Westmanncyjar,  13,  19. 

Westmannshavn,  Faroe,  10. 

Westerbygd,  App.  37. 

Western  Isles  of  Scotland,  123,  126,  133. 

Weston-super-Mare,  Somerset,  App.  34. 

Whitburn  Lizards,  county  Durham,  43,  62-64, 

76,  84  ;  App.  58. 
Whiteley,  Mr.,  94. 
Wise,  Mrs.,  88. 
Wolley,  Mr.  J.,  2,  10,  12,  13,  16-19,  21,  27,  41, 

42,66,84,96,116;  App.  4,  39. 
Woodward,  Dr.,  100. 
Wormius  Olaus,  8,  67,  68,  70,  74,  138. 
Worsiie,  Dr.,  41. 
Wright,  Mr.  Bryce,  92. 
Wyet,  Mr.  Silvester,  133. 
Wynian,  Mr.,  30,  85. 


York,  England,  78,  84;  App.  24. 
Young,  Allen,  25,  26. 


Zeno,  App.  37. 

Zoological  Society  of  London,  Proceedings,  44, 
101. 

Zoological  Society's  Transactions,  London,  2, 
28,  30. 

Zoologist,  11,  71,  112. 

Zootomical  Museum  of  the  University,  Copen- 
hagen, 32,  34. 

Zur  Qeschichte  der  Ueberreste  von  Alca  im- 
pennis, 2,  77,  84,  94, 97,  107;  App.  4,  5-34. 


REMARKS 


ON 


CHAKT  SHOWING  THE  SUPPOSED  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GREAT 

AUK  OR  GAREFOWL. 


SINCE  the  Chart  was  prepared,  the  Author,  from  information  lio  has  obtained,  has  seen 
reason  to  alter  his  views  with  regard  to  several  of  the  places  or  localities  mentioned  in 
connection  with  Alca  imjtennig,  and  for  that  reason  he  has  prepared  the  following  explana- 
tory matter.  Owing  to  the  small  scale  on  which  it  has  been  necessary  to  prepare  the  Chart 
to  take  in  such  a  largo  area  of  the  world's  surface,  the  names  of  places  at  certain  points  are 
rather  crowded.     Reference  to  these  remarks,  it  is  hoped,  will  obviate  all  difficulties. 

Mention  is  made  of  several  places  that  have  been  omitted  from  the  Chart,  and  there 
iire  one  or  two  places  that  are  marked,  but  which  we  think  ought  to  be  deleted. 


(B) 

stands  for  DreeiUng-Plctce. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those.     Where  a  date  occurs  in  addition  to  the  letter  (B)  it 
is  the  last-noted  occurrence  of  the  Great  Auk  at  the  particular  station  : — 

AMERICAN  HABITATS. 
Cape  Breton  Island. 

Cape  Breton.     (See  p.  134.) 

Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

Bird  Islands. — It  seems  probable  that  these  are  the  i.slands  referred  to  at  the  foot  of 
page  135  as  being  situated  off  tlie  Island  of  Brion  and  Cape  Dolphin,  but  this 
does  not  appear  to  be  quite  certain, 

Massachusetts,  U.S. 

Cape  Cod.     (See  p.  4.) 


54 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


Newfoundland.  '    - 

Bird  Jslaml  off  CajK  Bnnavista.—Wo  Iiavo  iiinrked  this  on  our  map  ns  the  island 
referred  to  by  Andrd  Tlievet  as  tlio  ishuid  of  Ajmnars  (see  p.  137);  but  it  is 
uncertain  what  island  is  meant,  and  our  marking  tiiis  island  is  only  conjecture. 

Funk  Island.     (See  p.  27)  off  east  coast. 
Penguin  Islands.     (See  p.  6)  off  soutli  coast. 

Greenland. 

Danells  or  Graahs  Islands.— East  coast ;  lat.  65°  20'  N.     (See  p.  4.) 


EUROPEAX  HABITATS. 


m 


liniTisH  Isy.Es :  Orkney. 
Papa  Westra,  1812. 


(See  p.  10.) 


Outer  Hebrides. 

Sf.  Kilda  or  Ilirta,  1821.     (See  p.  8.) 

Faroe  Islands. 

Sandoe  Island,  1808.  (See  p.  10.)  It  is,  however,  probable  the  Great  Auk  at  ona 
time  bred  on  other  islands  of  this  group. 

Iceland. 

Geirfiiglaskers.— There  were  at  least  three  rocks  that  bore  the  name  of  Geirfuglasker, 
and  probably  there  may  have  been  a  fourth.  The  name  itself  is  confined  to 
Iceland,  and  may  be  considered  of  Icelandic  origin. 

Geirfuglasl-er,  East  of  Breiddalsvik,  East  Iceland  (see  p.  12).— This  rock  has  unfor- 
tunately been  named  on  our  chart  "  Fuglaskor,"  and  opposite  the  name  the  letter 
D  has  been  marked  instead  of  B. 

Geirfuglasker,  Westmanneyar,  South  Iceland.     (See  \).  13.) 

Geirfuglasker,  off  Breidamerkursandr  (see  p.  11),  is  not  marked  upon  our  chart,  as  it 
only  exists  traditionally.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been,  or  perhaps  is  still,  situated 
nearly  midway  between  the  Westmanneyar  and  Cape  Eeykjanes. 

Geirfuglasker,  off  Cape  lieyhjaiws.— This  skerry  disappeared  beneath  the  waves  or  was 
destroyed  during  a  volcanic  eruption  in  1830.  It  was  the  principal  breeding- 
place  of  the  Great  Auk  during  the  present  century.     (See  p.  18.) 

Eldey.  (See  p.  20.)  It  was  on  this  skerry  that  the  last  Garefowls  were  killed,  at  the 
beginning  of  June  1844. 


REMARKS  ON  CHART. 


55 


(S) 

Staritls/or  places  whnre  specimeris  of  the.  Great  Auk  have  been  ohtained.     Where  a  date 
is  (jicen  it  is  the  year  in  which  the  last  specimen  was  obtained  in  that  particular  locality. 

A5IERICAN  HABITATS. 

GnEENLAND. 

Disco,  1821.  (See  App.  p.  14.)  From  what  Professor  Stcenstrup  says  in  the  note  at 
tlic  foot  of  the  page  we  quote  there  is  every  reason  to  doubt  Disco  as  a  station 
for  Alca  impennis,  L.  At  the  time  tlie  chart  was  prepared  we  did  not  know  the 
views  of  the  learned  Professor. 

Fiskernces,  1815.     (See  App.  p.  14  under  Copenhagen,  also  foot-note.) 


EUROPEAN  HABITATS. 
British  Isles. 

Farn  Islands  off  Northumljerlaml  Coast,  last  century.     (See  p.  62.) 
PajM  Westra,  Orkney,  1812.     (See  p.  10.) 
St.  Kilda  or  Ilirta,  Outer  nebrido.s,  1821.     (See  p.  8.) 
Waterford,  Ireland,  1834.     (See  pp.  23  and  70.) 

Germany. 

Kiel,  1790.     (See  p.  23.) 
Iceland. 

Eldey.     (See  p.  20.)     The  last  Groat  Auks  were  killed  here  in  1844. 
Geirfxirjlaskeroff  Reykjanes.    (See  p.  18.)    This  skerry  disappeared  beneatli  the  waves 

in  1830,  not  1829,  as  was  at  one  time  supposed. 
Hellerskiima,  on  Mainland  of  Iceland,  between  Skagen  and  Keblavik,  1821.    (See  pp. 

21,  22.)     This  place  lias  been  omitted  from  our  map  by  a  mistake. 
Selvogr,  Mainland  of  Iceland,  1803  or  1805.      (See  p.  21.)      This  place  has  also 

been  omitted  from  our  map  Ijy  a  mistake. 
Latrabjarg,  1814.     (See  p.  21.) 

NoilWAT. 

Frederiksstadt,  1838.     (See  p.  24,  also  foot-note.) 
Sweden. 

Marstrand,  last  century.     (See  p.  23,  also  foot-note.  p.  24.) 
Tistlarna,  last  century.     (See  p,  23,  also  foot-note,  p.  24.) 


H  ' 


i  \ 


U 


56 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


(P) 

Stands  for  places  where  the  Great  Auk  may  possibly  have  bred,  though  (he 
gupposition  rests  principally  on  conjecture. 

AMERICAN  HABITATS. 

Newfoundland. 

Miquelon,  on  South  Coast.     (See  App.  p.  31.) 
Penguin  Rocks,  west  of  Cape  Freels,  on  East  Coast. 
iSt.  Pierre,  on  Suiith  Coast.     (See  App.  p.  31.) 
Virc/in  Rocks,  east  of  Cape  Race.     (See  p.  7.) 


V 


EUROPEAN  HABITATS. 

British  Isles. 

Shetland.     (See  pp.  4  and  10.) 

Iceland.  ' 

Geir/ugladrangr,  off  Cape  Reyhjanes.     (See  p.  17.) 


(D) 

stands  for  doubtful  localities,  where  the  Great  Auk  is  said  to  have  been  seen, 
or  specimens  obtained,  or  where  it  is  said  to  have  bred. 

AMERICAN  HABITATS. 

Greenland. 

Frede)-ikshaab.— This  station  is  marked  on  account  of  the  young  bird  said  to  have 
been  got  here  by  Fabricius,  but  as  there  is  little  doubt  that  this  young  bird  was 
not  an  Alca  impennis,  tliis  station  should  be  deleted.  (See  p.  72,  also  foot-note, 
and  App.  p.  1.) 

Labrador. 

Island  off  the  Coast.  We  have  marked  on  our  map  an  island  in  Hamilton  Inlet,  but 
we  think  this  station  should  be  deleted  altogether. 

Newfoundland. 

Tail  of  Newfoundland  Ranks,  IS52.     (See  p.  7.) 

Trinity  Ray,  1853.     (See  p.  7.) 


-I  ! 


REMARKS  ON  CHART. 


57 


EUROPEAN  HAIUTATS.  ' 

British  Isles.  i  i 

li'tfmt  Lonr,h,  lUr).     (Sue  p.  23.) 

Castle  Freh-e,  hmg  »traml,  mst  of  County  Cork.     (Sec  p  "3  ) 
Gom-ocl;  Firth  of  C/i/./c,  near  Oreenoef,:     (See  p.  9  )     "  '" 
Liindi/  Muml,  Brhtol  Channel.     (See  p.  23.) 
Slnjo,  Island  (if,  Inverness-shire.     (See  p.  24.) 
Kranc'e. 

/ir«^  begimung  of  this  century.      (See  p.  23.)     Ne,„,.  Dieppe  is  another  locality  men- 
loned.       See  App.  p.  9.)     Howover,  there  is  little  doubt  both  localities  should 

be  deleted  from  the  map  as  far  as  the  capture  of  specimens  of  the  Great  Auk  is 

concerned. 

Iceland. 

(irimseyMaml,  north  of  Iceland  (not  the  island  of  ..ame  name  in  Iluna  Floi),     (See 

Norway. 

Sondmore,  near  Aalesun^l,  rocks  off  coast.     (See  p.  30.)    The  occurrence  of  Alca  im- 
iJC««i«  here  IS  very  doubtful.     (See  p.  122.) 


Iceland. 


(O) 

Submerged  Breeding  Place. 


(Mrfuglasl-er  off  Cajie  Rey/.Janes.-Tlm  skeny  disappeared  during  1 830.    (See  p.  1 8.; 


(R) 

Plare.'i  where  Remains  of  the  Great  A>d-  hare  been  found. 

Newkoundland.  AMERICAN  HABITATS. 

Funk  Island,  36  miles  north-east  by  east  from  Cape  Freels.     (See  p.  27.) 
United  States  : 
State  op  Maine. 

Crcwhes  Cave  near  Portland.     (Seep.  7G.)    Not  marked  on  map. 
Mount  Desert.     (See  p.  76.) 


2  C 


ii   1 


•   .        ♦ 


e 


i* 


THE  GREAT  AUK,  OR  GAREFOWL. 


i«; 


If 


IT' 


Statb  op  Massachusetts. 
Shell  Heap  near  Ipmeich. — "  Orton  "  says,  "  in  shellheaps  at  Marblohead,  Eagle-hill  in 
Ipswich,  and  Plumb  Island."    (See  note,  p.  30.)    As  we  have  been  unable  to  dis- 
cover the  exact  position  of  each  of  these  places,  we  have  only  marked  Ipswich  on 
our  map. 


EUROPEAN  HABITATS. 
British  Isles. 

Keisa,  Caithness-shire.     (See  p.  43.) 

Oronsai/,  Argijleshire.     (See  p.  47.) 

Whitburn  Lizards,  County  Durham.     (See  p.  62.) 

Denmark. 

Famierup  Randers,  Jutland.     (See  p.  39.) 

Gudumlund,  south  side  of  eastern  part  of  the  Limfjord,  Jutland.     (See  p.  39.) 

Havelse,  in  Seeland,  situated  at  the  soutliern  part  of  the  Issefjord.     (See  p.  37.) 

Meilgaard  Randers,  Jutland.     (See  p.  31.) 

Solager,  in  Seeland,  northern  part  of  Lsefjord.     (See  p.  39.) 

Iceland. 

Baejasker,  near  Cape  Meykjanes.     (See  p.  41.)     From  want  of  room  on  the  small 

scale  this  place  is  only  marked  on  the  enlargement  of  S.W.  comer  of  Iceland. 
Kyrkjuvogr,  near  Cape  Reijlg'anes.    (See  p.  41.) 


PRINTED  BV   BALLANTVNB,    HANSON    AND  CO. 
BDINBUKGH    ANI>   LONDON. 


I 


1U 

— 1— 


I  «    Chart  showing  the  supposed  Distribution  of  the 


(AI.CA  IMPENNIS,  LINN.) 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  S  W  CORNER  OF  ICELAND 


EXPLANATION. 

B.-  •'•Mill  PlMM. 

P.    PUoM  wh««  the  an*t  An'<  nuijr  potMu'v  bav*  bnd. 

8.    IniUoatM  wbar*  the  iHt  iiMolmtn  of  U*  Orwl  Auk  lua  bMa  oMaiiMd  In  moIi  looaUtr 

0.-8ubm*r|Ml  BrMdlng  PUc*. 

D.    Douttfun««UtlM  whjr.  tb.  ur...  Auk  i.  uld  to  hA«o  bMn  iMn,  or  SpMmoi  obUln^l.  or  » 

f{.    r\tom  whara  ramftUu  of  tb«  Onat  Auk  bare  bMD  found. 

DATES  ^^Wkjrjj>^UU^^T.n.  .t  d.n.U.  ,b.  ,^  of  ib.  U.t  r,^M  «Hmm.o,  of  U..  0«, 


>btktiud  In  Men  loMdltr. 

imn,  or  RpMUnnu  obUlntd,  or  wkar*  It 

raoordMl  oomimnM  or  ttaa  OrMt  Ank 


v..         X/'-"- 


•--'••'li, 


i 

i 


'^ter^'V     , 


whisii- 


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'MfnmUlml    'tJ 


I 


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.-^f--      / 


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•BinTis 


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Ab*'ttleMi 


I.ol'oilnto /> 


-..  ,Cliriil 


'!^'*tt;< 


V 


JOOA 


liSO/  Fitrvufttnr  '  \ 


•  f«W  il>(t 


> 


■■■■*■  ■■'ft*'" 


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